{"id":583235,"date":"2026-04-03T16:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/583235\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T16:47:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:47:12","slug":"inside-the-pacers-humbling-season-competing-hard-while-eyeing-the-top-of-the-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/583235\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Pacers\u2019 humbling season: Competing hard while eyeing the top of the NBA Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 Four minutes into the fourth quarter of the 73rd game of the season, down 20 points, Pascal Siakam gets into a defensive stance, swiping at and ultimately stealing the ball<\/a> from the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 Austin Reaves. Siakam was approaching 2,000 minutes played this season. His Indiana Pacers, to this point of the season, had won 16 of their 72 games played.<\/p>\n

Two minutes later, Siakam hit a 3-pointer. The Pacers were still down 16. Seconds later, Siakam fouled out, having picked up his fourth, fifth and sixth fouls within two minutes \u2014 and then got T\u2019d up and tossed from the bench as he argued with the referees.<\/p>\n

Final: Lakers 137, Pacers 130. Loss No. 57.<\/p>\n

Mere feet from Siakam stood Tyrese Haliburton, having returned to the Pacers\u2019 bench after several weeks of dealing with shingles. The viral infection\u00a0hit as Haliburton continued his rehab from the Achilles\u2019 tear<\/a> that cruelly waylaid him in the opening minutes of Game 7 of the NBA finals in Oklahoma City last June, an injury that has cost him this season. His absence from the floor began a cascading set of decisions and circumstances that led this franchise to, as they say in the Association, tank lean into the development of the team\u2019s young players.<\/p>\n

Around here, they don\u2019t tank lean into the development of the team\u2019s young players. This franchise \u2014 under Herb Simon\u2019s ownership, Rick Carlisle\u2019s coaching and the longtime front-office collaboration of team president Kevin Pritchard and general manager Chad Buchanan \u2014 has always done what it did against the Lakers on March 25: compete, and at a high level. The Pacers are the patron saints of the \u201cmid-build\u201d that many fans believe is preferable to a complete teardown: building methodically through the draft and player development, rarely splurging on free agents and counting on continuity throughout the organization to foster a consistent, professional, winning culture.<\/p>\n

All but the winning remain in place this season. And the winning, or the lack thereof, still matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is what it is,\u201d a Pacers veteran said the other day, a smile on his face.<\/p>\n

The expectation is that this is a one-off, a brief respite before the Pacers get a top pick in the upcoming draft (and that\u2019s a bit complicated). Haliburton can return to his All-NBA form next season; Siakam remains a two-way terror; newly acquired center Ivica Zubac opens up all manner of pick-and-roll possibilities; guard Andrew Nembhard returns to his role as one of the league\u2019s best on-ball defenders, with a year\u2019s experience under his belt on the ball; and Indiana is, once again, a contender in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

There remains, though, the last few games of this slog of a season, during which the Pacers have had 16-, 13- and eight-game losing streaks. This is a proud franchise. Thus, needing to do \u2026 this \u2026 even for one season, is discomfiting. And needing to do it less than a year after being so close to the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy is jarring.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk a lot about just staying with the process,\u201d Nembhard said. \u201cI think it\u2019s the competitiveness, bringing that energy every night, kind of when the season\u2019s getting to the end, and it\u2019s already out of (playoff) contention. It\u2019s something you\u2019ve got to work on. It\u2019s only going to make us better for next season, having that competitive energy when it doesn\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a saying: You\u2019re either humble, or you\u2019re about to be humbled,\u201d Carlisle said.<\/p>\n

The franchise is also still dealing with the $100,000 fine from the NBA<\/a> in February for resting Siakam in a Feb. 3 game against Utah, while also holding out Nembhard and forward Aaron Nesmith \u2014 Nembhard for lower back management, Nesmith with a left hand strain. Even though the game was the second of a back-to-back set and the Pacers\u2019 third game in four nights, the league said a review by an independent physician determined that all three players could have played at least a few minutes in the game. Siakam, an All-Star each of the last two seasons, fell under the \u201cstar player\u201d designation of the Player Participation Policy<\/a>\u00a0implemented in 2023.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard, from those depths, to recall how recently the Pacers were four quarters away.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo quarters,\u201d Carlisle said, evenly, in his office at the team\u2019s practice facility.<\/p>\n

And, of course, he\u2019s right. Even after Haliburton\u2019s devastating first-quarter injury, the Pacers somehow summoned up enough will to take a 48-47 halftime lead. Eventually, the Thunder walked them down in the third quarter and pulled away, leaving Indiana to face the following season without its superstar guard.<\/p>\n

You coach long enough, you\u2019ll have seasons like these. Carlisle had a couple with the Dallas Mavericks in the years after their 2011 championship, as Dirk Nowitzki aged and the team was unable to keep important people who contributed to the title run. And he had one just a few years ago here \u2014 the 2021-22 season, the first season of Carlisle\u2019s second stint in Indy. \u00a0That year, Indiana blew up the core of the team that made the playoffs five seasons in a row, but didn\u2019t win any of those five first-round series. Multiple trades netted Haliburton and future picks that ultimately became Nembhard and third-year guard Ben Sheppard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen things get like this,\u201d Carlisle said, \u201cyou\u2019ve just got to find a way to operate that\u2019s consistent and positive. That\u2019s the tack that we\u2019ve taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe players have been terrific. \u2026 We acquire guys that are great people along with being good players. If you don\u2019t have that kind of character, something like this can be a lot more arduous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every NBA player has pride in his skills and determination to win and play well \u2014 if, for no other reason, to have good tape for his next team to see. It\u2019s especially hard to think about tanking here with a franchise that has, for decades, resisted the temptation.<\/p>\n

Indiana has made the postseason 20 times in the last 30 seasons through multiple iterations, from the Reggie Miller-led squad that made the finals in 2000 under Larry Bird (when Carlisle was the team\u2019s offensive coordinator) to the Jermaine O\u2019Neal-led group in the early 2000s \u2014 a team derailed by the Malice at the Palace in 2004 \u2014 to the Paul George-centric Pacers who challenged LeBron James\u2019 Heatles for Eastern Conference superiority in the early 2010s. Carlisle won his NBA championship in Dallas, but he\u2019s coached more than 700 games here in two stints.<\/p>\n

But Haliburton\u2019s injury was only a harbinger of what was to come.<\/p>\n

Forward Obi Toppin missed four months with a stress fracture in his right foot suffered early in the season. Forward Johnny Furphy tore his ACL in February. Sparkplug sixth man T.J. McConnell has been slowed by a hamstring pull. Nembhard had a strained shoulder early and a lower back injury now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a tough season,\u201d McConnell said. \u201cBut it\u2019s hard to look past the minutes and the growth that some of the guys that, even last year, didn\u2019t get. Especially Drew taking on a bigger role, Ben Sheppard, the young guys continuing to come in and give us a spark and get valuable minutes in the NBA. That\u2019s a really valuable thing. It\u2019s something we can\u2019t look past. We\u2019ve got to continue to honor it, and continue to build guys up when they get those opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pacers knew, once their stalwart center Myles Turner left for the rival Bucks in free agency last summer<\/a>, that they\u2019d have to hit the reset button. They had two major concerns entering the season: losing their culture inside their locker room or losing their fans. They hoped they\u2019d built up enough credibility over the years with both constituencies to survive the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that we\u2019re a better team than our record shows,\u201d reserve center Jay Huff said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some inconvenient injuries. And we\u2019re trying through this whole time to keep winning habits, try to win some more games and keep playing how we know we need to play to win games. Keep the culture around here a winning culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n A young Pacers fan shows appreciation for Indiana forward Pascal Siakam. (David Aldridge \/ The Athletic)<\/p>\n

While there were a lot of Lakers jerseys in the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse last week, there were also a lot of people supporting the home team, as there were during recent rare home wins over Orlando and Miami. Siakam and the veterans noticed<\/a>. Per Elias, the Pacers are averaging a little more than 16,600 per game at home<\/a> this season, which would be a drop-off of roughly 100 people per game from last year\u2019s average.<\/p>\n

Last week, that included Shane Harris, who co-owns a Big O Tires franchise in Mooresville, Ind., about 20 minutes from Indy, with his wife, Jessica. They, along with their son Jaden and his friend Matt Thomas, were using the company\u2019s four season tickets last week for the Lakers game. Harris said that someone makes use of the company tickets for about half of the Pacers\u2019 home games every year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it\u2019s something more for our employees,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if they had several years of not being competitive, we would continue to do it. It\u2019s just something good for our employees, to give them something back.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, you\u2019re good with \u2026 leaning in to developing the young players this season?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Harris said. \u201cI\u2019m torn on that. But you\u2019ve got to look to the future. I\u2019m not that upset about it. Do what you\u2019ve gotta do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pacers\u2019 hopes about adding a player from the top of what may be a loaded 2026 draft hinge on some more maneuvering, however. The trade netted them Zubac and forward Kobe Brown from the LA Clippers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a 2029 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick \u2014 and a conditional 2026 first. The condition is simple, but ominous: If Indiana winds up with one of the top four picks in the draft after next month\u2019s lottery, or with the 10th through 30th pick in the first round, it will hold onto the 2026 first and convey a 2031 first to the Clippers.<\/p>\n

But if the \u201926 pick winds up at picks Nos. 5 through 9, it will convey to the Clippers for this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a reasonable gamble. Zubac is out for the rest of this season after suffering a broken rib during the Pacers\u2019 March 18 game with the Portland Trail Blazers. But the 29-year-old looks like a potential strong fit at both ends. The Pacers\u2019 frenetic pace and movement will take some getting used to, but when things slow down in the half court, Zubac should mesh nicely. With him always among the league leaders in screen assists, and at just a $20.5 million per-season average through 2028, Indiana couldn\u2019t do better in finding an impact big man at a non-elite price.<\/p>\n

Carlisle says often that his is a \u201cget-to\u201d job, not a \u201chave-to.\u201d He\u2019s worked harder than ever on building relationships, not overloading his young players with too many minutes and too many new responsibilities. The team\u2019s veteran player committee lets him know when a day off is needed. There will be challenges next season getting Haliburton back up to speed, but prior to the shingles diagnosis, he had been hitting all of his physical markers as he continued his rehab.<\/p>\n

A little more darkness before the return to the light.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing into this, it was daunting,\u201d Carlisle said. \u201cWe were 1-13 to start the season. Very difficult. How do you maintain consistency with that? The answer is, you just do. We had seven hardship deals that we had signed with players, many of whom were in and out in very short periods of time. \u2026 My thing was we\u2019re going to be unbending, and we\u2019re going to continue to work toward the ultimate goal, which is to win a championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were right on the doorstep last year. And then, this year happened.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 Four minutes into the fourth quarter of the 73rd game of the season, down 20 points,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":583236,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,7221,590,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-583235","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-indiana-pacers","11":"tag-nba","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/583236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}