Indiana Pacers second unit finding a groove behind focus on ball movement
The Indiana Pacers have gotten important contributions from their bench in seemingly every game since the All-Star break. Guard Bennedict Mathurin had 19 points against the Celtics in their first game back from All-Star festivities. Jordan Nwora and Mathurin combined for 37 points two nights later in Orlando, and then Nwora teamed up with Jalen Smith to crush the Mavericks second unit.
Since beating Dallas last Tuesday, Chris Duarte has had three excellent games, T.J. McConnell has been solid, Nwora has continued to impress, and Mathurin has shined. Add in contributions from Isaiah Jackson and Oshae Brissett, and the Pacers second unit has been a weapon the last few weeks.
It's easy to look at all those big scoring nights and be impressed by the improved offensive output of some Indiana youngsters. But Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle steered the conversation elsewhere on Sunday when asked about the productive play of his bench.
"They're both passing. And when they're both passing, scoring happens," Carlisle said, referring to Mathurin and Duarte. They combined for 32 points that day.
Carlisle went on to note that it's been important for the team to keep the focus on moving the ball and less on individual scoring. By sharing the rock, the points will come, and that has been evident in recent Pacers outings.
Against the Bulls on Sunday, the second unit finished with 10 assists. In Orlando during their recent road trip, they had 15. When they battled the Celtics coming out of the All-Star break, the bench had 12 dimes. They have improved their ability to share the ball, and everyone is benefitting.
"Gave us great energy. They played unselfish, they played hard," Carlisle said of the second unit after Indiana beat Chicago. Then, he went into more detail about the group improving its playmaking.
"There's a lot of things behind the scenes that lead to that. But we've got great veteran players," he said, noting that encouragement and coaching have been huge. "The way to play is to play with total unselfishness and as hard as you can."
The Pacers bench played exactly like that in the Windy City, and they were so good that Carlisle couldn't even sub them out of the action. Only two Pacers players reached 30 minutes of playing time in that game, which was a victory for the blue and gold.
Forward Oshae Brissett said that the group played with trust, and that faith has been vital in recent performances from the team. It came as a result of all the work put in by the group in the background.
"It's watching a lot of film... credit to them as young guys and watching film and kinda correcting stuff. Credit to those guys. They're playing extremely selfless," veteran guard T.J. McConnell explained on Monday of that effort. He is impressed that youngsters like Duarte and Mathurin, who McConnell thinks could each score 20 points on a given night, have bought into the ball movement. The sacrifice is helping everyone.
When the Pacers bench keeps the ball moving and gets to their spots, the game is simple. The timing is better, the spacing is better, and the actions are more fluid. In general, that type of play keeps everyone engaged, even when they aren't scoring as much on a given night. Just touching the ball and being involved is important.
It's helping the team win, too. Indiana has won four of its last seven games, and they have a .500 record since Nwora entered the rotation. The Pacers acquired him in a trade deadline move, and he has fit in quickly to the second unit.
"I think we did a good job moving the ball, finding the wide open man, playing for each other," Duarte said of the blue and gold's second unit on Sunday. He had 15 points that night and was a +3 in a three-point win.
"Pretty much just trying to get everybody going at the same time," rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin added of the bench group moving the ball. He stressed the importance of simple plays, noting that the reserves are hard to guard when they play that way. He finished with 17 points.
Indiana's bench had its moments this year, but rarely have they looked as connected as they have in the last two weeks. The group, in large part thanks to improved passing and ball movement, is much more cohesive, and that is helping everybody. As is the challenge with a young team, though, the next step is making that play a habit and sustaining it.
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