The Pacers impressed much of the league last season in their march to the Eastern Conference Finals. Following a mid-season acquisition of Pascal Siakam, a breakout all-star campaign from Tyrese Haliburton, and statistically the most high-volume offense in NBA history, the Pacers have positioned themselves this season as one of the deepest and versatile teams in the league.
How will a returning Benn Mathurin fit in with the Pacers depth? Will Jarace Walker play meaningful minutes this season?
Here is the 2024-25 season preview for the Indiana Pacers.
Key Additions:
Bennedict Mathurin(‘s health) and (a full season of) Pascal Siakam
The Pacers weren’t a team that were big spenders this offseason. They extended their pivotal role players in T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin, kept veteran leaders like James Johnson, and gave a max extension to Pascal Siakam.
Siakam played 41 games in Indiana a season ago, many of which intersected with some injuries to core players, mainly Tyrese Haliburton. Despite that, the Pacers went 23-18 with Siakam and were able to use his versatility to aid them to the Conference Finals.
They also made that trek without the sixth overall pick from the 2022 NBA Draft, Bennedict Mathurin. After a shoulder injury held him out of 23 games and all of the playoffs, Mathurin’s return gives them yet another volume scorer to add to this dangerous offense.
The biggest offseason acquisition for the team was bringing in James Wiseman on a two-year deal. The former 2nd overall pick had spent the last year and a half in Detroit, where he was a serviceable backup averaging 8.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. In Indiana,I expect him to be a spot rotational guy, in case of any injuries to Myles Turner or Isaiah Jackson.
G/F Johnny Furphy
The Pacers traded up on draft night to acquire Johnny Furphy, the 19-year-old Australian wing out of Kansas. Furphy is the textbook “positionless era” player, able to play the guard or forward while sporting a 6’9 frame. I don’t expect a lot of minutes for Furphy initially, but some time with the Mad Ants and some polishing to his game can make him a key future piece for the Pacers.
Key Losses:
The only notable loss for Indiana this offseason was Jalen Smith, who signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Bulls. Smith had been a key contributor for the Pacers over the past two and a half seasons, and had one of his better seasons last year, averaging 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game shooting 59.2% from the field and 42.4% from 3. I believe Indiana let him go to make minutes for their lottery pick from last season, Jarace Walker.
Season Outlook:
Potential Starting Lineup: PG Haliburton SG Andrew Nembhard SF Aaron Nesmith PF Siakam C Turner
Bench Unit: Mathurin, McConnell, Toppin, Jackson, Walker
Reserves: Ben Sheppard, Wiseman, Johnson, Furphy, Enrique Freeman (TW), Quenton Jackson (TW), Tristen Newton (TW)
I expect big things from the Pacers with a full year with this new core. Their offensive efficiency competes with some of the top contenders in the league, and their depth is truly only matched by the Oklahoma City Thunder. If guys like Haliburton and Mathurin are able to stay relatively healthy, I don’t see anything lower than a Top 4 finish in the conference for them.
Projected Finish:
Record: 50-32
Projected Finish: 3rd in the Eastern Conference
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