The Indiana Pacers are going to be without Tyrese Haliburton next season. With Andrew Nembhard expected to go through some growing pains as the full-time point guard, the Pacers may need to rely on T.J. McConnell, who continues to prove that they can trust him.
Indiana is going to look incredibly different next season. Haliburton is out for the year, Myles Turner is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, and plenty of players currently on the team are expected to play different roles. However, for the most part, that will not be the case for McConnell. He will still be the team's primary backup point guard, and they will continue to rely on him. However, the Pacers still may need him now more than ever, and it is crucial that he can continue to step up.
The Pacers' point guard depth has taken a huge hit
One of the more overlooked aspects of Haliburton's injury is that Indiana's point guard depth is significantly weaker even beyond him.
Not only is it going to be tough for the Pacers to navigate through life without their All-NBA point guard, but by moving Nembhard over to his role full-time, they lose a trustworthy secondary ball-handler. Having McConnell will help alleviate this problem, but it is still a problem nonetheless.
The Pacers may need a third point guard to add to the rotation to make things much easier for them. Currently, they have a few solid options in guys like Kam Jones, RayJ Dennis, and Quenton Jackson. However, it is unclear if the Pacers can fully trust any of them to take on this big a role, and that is why McConnell is incredibly important to the team next season.
If Nembhard struggles, McConnell can fill in. Furthermore, if they are unable to find another point guard or playmaker to add to the mix, they will have to rely on the Pittsburgh native even more than they already were.
As it stands, the Pacers are expected to go through some rough patches next season. Though they are still looking to remain competitive, it is going to be incredibly difficult for them to make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference. Instead, next season will mostly be about experimenting with their roster to see what works and what doesn't for when Haliburton comes back.
With the Pacers undergoing so many changes between this past season and the next one, they will have a lot of questions to answer. Fortunately for them, since McConnell is still going to be a major part of their team, they can find some solace knowing that they can put their trust in him at a time when they need it the most.