Pacers stake claim to the top spot in the Tank Race

The lost season for the Indiana Pacers rolls on, but it hasn’t been without a silver lining. Today, we updated the race for number one. No, not that number one. First place in the division disappeared weeks ago. This is the other race the one no fan wants to admit they’re watching, but everyone understands.

The Pacers defense was, and has been, bad. The turnovers did them in vs the Heat.

Watch: https://t.co/hStgOnmUkb
Listen: https://t.co/CTo2E0rPKO pic.twitter.com/QVHvyVkluH
— Locked On Pacers (@lockedonpacers) December 28, 2025

Welcome to the tank race.

If the Pacers can hold the bottom spot, they’ll give themselves outstanding odds in the 2026 NBA Draft. In a season stripped of short-term hope, draft positioning has become the clearest path forward. Here is how the lottery works, pulled from a previous story I wrote.

“Let’s first establish how the draft lottery works to gauge where the Pacers could be selecting a pick come draft time. The NBA revamped the Draft Lottery rules in 2019. Under the current system, the three teams with the worst records each have a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick, leveling the odds at the top. The team with the worst record can now drop only to 5th, instead of 4th under the old rules. After the first four picks are drawn, the remaining lottery teams pick in reverse order of their regular-season standings.”
Adel Burton

The Pacers are now last in the Eastern Conference with a record of 6 wins and 26 losses. They have dropped eight straight games. If they continue at their current pace, they could end up with a franchise-worst 15–67 record. The worst season in franchise history currently remains the 1982–83 campaign, when Indiana finished with a woeful 20–62 record. That team was headlined by Clark Kellogg and Herb Williams.

Silver-Lining

It isn’t all bad for Pacers fans. Haliburton is expected to return in 2026 from his Achilles injury, and this could be a blessing in disguise. The Oklahoma City Thunder, reigning NBA champions after besting the Pacers in seven games, have built a juggernaut. They are stocked with young talent that hasn’t even played a game yet. The San Antonio Spurs have surrounded the alien Victor Wembanyama with the likes of Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and more.

What is the good part, you ask? The Pacers have a chance in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft class to add a franchise-changing talent to run alongside Haliburton and push toward a championship-contending roster next season. You can read more about that here.

That’s the real upside. In a loaded 2026 NBA Draft, the Pacers have a chance to add a franchise-changing talent to run alongside Tyrese Haliburton and accelerate a return to contention. We’ve already broken-down prospects like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Tonde Yessoufou, and we’ll continue profiling the top names all season long.

The losses may pile up now, but if Indiana plays this right, 2026 could be where the comeback begins.