Indiana Pacers know the good and the bad of their early preseason outings
The Indiana Pacers are two games into the preseason with their new-look team, and while it isn't possible to get a perfect grasp of the changes yet, certain strengths and weaknesses are coming into focus.
All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has yet to play in a game, and his absence alters many assessments. It's not clear how strong the new opening lineup is, or what Bennedict Mathurin's new role will look like, for example. The team has also been without Andrew Nembhard (two times), Daniel Theis (once), and Myles Turner (once), so there is still some guesswork involved in projecting forward.
The team still has shown some of what can be expected from them this season, as well as some important points of focus going forward.
"I liked that we were able to see everyone in competitive NBA situations," head coach Rick Carlisle said on Thursday. "We're doing a lot of things well."
Some of the biggest positives for the blue and gold have come from younger forwards. Aaron Nesmith, Ben Sheppard, and Aaron Nesmith have all been impressive through two games, with Nesmith in particular standing out. Nesmith has all but locked up a rotation spot this season, and Walker should get playing time, so the two of them finding success is particularly meaningful for the blue and gold.
Sheppard may be outside of the Pacers playing rotation this year, but his strong start will inspire confidence. And one of his best skills, perimeter shooting, is something the Pacers should be happy with through two games.
Their accuracy hasn't been there. It's been bad, in fact — they are 23/95 (24.2%) from deep through two games. Instead, it's the fact they, even without Haliburton and Nembhard, have been able to get up 95 threes without many of them being poor looks that should be viewed as a positive. Haliburton can generate great shots for himself and others from long range, but if the blue and gold aren't reliant on him to be a good shooting team, that is promising.
Bruce Brown, a newcomer, said he's been exploring his game and looking for shots that may or may not be a part of his arsenal this season. With such a dynamic role, he could be doing any number of things during a game. Being able to feel out his fit, and his teammates, has been another benefit of preseason. Every player has that advantage.
"Just trying to get used to everything," Brown said last Friday. He mentioned that it's fairly easy for him to switch between roles.
It hasn't all been good, though. The Pacers have had their warts in the first two exhibitions. The defensive side of the ball has been the biggest culprit.
They have given up more than 120 points in both of their battles so far. One of them went to overtime, but that game also featured fewer rotation players from both sides. Getting stops has been tricky for the Pacers.
"Gave up too many points," wing Aaron Nesmith said. "That's something we can continue to do better at."
Fouling has come as a result of the poor defense. With frequent perimeter breakdowns, help and rotations are required. For a young team with a new defensive scheme, there are going to be rotation and connectivity issues. That has led to fouls, and they need to be cleaned up.
Houston attempted 39 shots from the charity stripe last Tuesday. Two days prior, Memphis took 21. The free throw line is an easy, efficient spot. The Pacers are allowing their opponents to get there.
"We've got to keep the other team off the free throw line," Carlisle said. "The work on our habits has got to continue. We've got to do a lot of work on closeout position, footwork, hand position."
Haliburton described something else he hasn't liked, and it relates to their offense. To him, it hasn't been random enough. The Pacers operate within an offensive system that is reliant on feel and activity. That leads to random play, but in a productive way. It's random in that their opponents can't anticipate what is coming. It's structured in that Pacers players are privy to what could be next at any moment.
One of those components has been missing, though. Haliburton thinks their randomness has been too, well, systematic. It's been predictable.
"Offensively, there's a little bit of repetitiveness to our randomness," he said.
The All-Star point guard is the driver of the random-action offense. He is thinking multiple steps ahead all the time, so he can make plays early and keep defenses on their toes. Without him, that is more difficult, though the team certainly has stretches where they are succeeding in his absence.
Preseason play is meant to be about getting up to speed. They are exhibitions after all. The Pacers have done that while implementing new things and showing off some important stylistic improvements.
They have work to do, though, and they'll hope to improve this week with Haliburton back.
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- What can the Indiana Pacers do better on defense this year? Well, everything. CLICK HERE.
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