The Indiana Pacers are in a good spot with just a few weeks left in the regular season. After their conference finals run last year, the Pacers will have a good opportunity to duplicate this playoff success later this year. The Pacers currently own the No. 4 seed in the East and can realistically grab the No. 3 seed from the New York Knicks by the end of the season.
After their slow start to the 2024-25 season, the Pacers have drastically turned things around. They remain one of the best offensive teams in the league and have improved defensively. Most are talking about the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers as the top contenders to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. However, the Pacers are making a case to be in the conversation as well.
There is a lot to like about the Pacers, and they are on a roll as they approach the postseason. However, there is one specific rotation change head coach Rick Carlisle must make to maximize the team's potential in the playoffs.
Rick Carlisle needs to make some changes in the rotation
More often than not, teams will shorten their rotations in the playoffs to ensure that their best players play as much as possible. This is no different for the Pacers, despite them being such a deep team.
Recently, it looked like Bennedict Mathurin might be the odd man out for Indiana given Carlisle's rotations. However, the Canadian native has been on fire lately, making this a much more difficult decision for Carlisle. Instead, it may be best for Carlisle to do the complete opposite--give Mathurin more minutes in the rotation. Additionally, Aaron Nesmith deserves more minutes as well.
On the flip side, while he provides a lot of value and is an important part of the Pacers' bench, the Pacers might benefit from shedding Ben Sheppard's minutes in the playoffs and maybe even cutting him from the rotation entirely.
Sheppard has not played well in March. Throughout the month, the Atlanta native is averaging 4.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over 18.8 minutes per game. Furthermore, he is shooting 35.3% from the field and 25.7% from the three-point line.
Because of his recent slump (and the impressive performances by Nesmith and Mathurin), Sheppard is not making a good case for playoff minutes. Instead, Carlisle should continue to trust his needed guys when the lights are brightest. Sheppard still has some time to turn things around, but even if he does, it may be too late.