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The Draft
The draft is where the fun started when Indy selected Treyvon Okoye with the number 9 pick. The 19-year-old wing from Memphis will look to give Indiana a defensive stopper and a secondary playmaker. He will need to develop his shooting in order to get and stay on the floor however. They later selected Jackie Strawberry at the end of the first with the 25th pick. He'll be looking to develop into a playmaking and set shooter for the bench unit. He's most likely not a good enough defender or shot creator to take on a starting role until much later into his career. The final selection for the Pacers was Ontrel Ali out of Arkansas. The young guard is a good shooter and defender. But, his 6'3 size and subpar playmaking skills is keeping off the floor for now. All the picks are 19-years-old and are raw coming into the organization.
For the rest of the league, Charlotte won the AJ Taylor sweepstakes with the #1 pick. Amel Zipser, a 6'9 playmaking wing, went with the 2nd overall pick to Utah. Zipser's size and passing ability mixed with his soft touch makes him a unique project for the Jazz. Then two-way wing Lamonte Wilson went #3 to the Pistons, true point guard Johnnie Jones went to San Antonio and the bucket getting Isiah Drexler went #5 to Houston to round out the top five. Other notes include big man passing hub Layton McKey landing in Orlando, rim protector Latrell McCoy went to Oklahoma City, and the instant offense point guard Omar Tinsley ended up in Phoenix.
Free Agency
Free agency kicked off before the Pacers could even get their draft picks settled in, as Myles Turner demanded an opportunity to find another franchise to play for. Years of off the court rumors around Turner being traded made the big man feel valueless to the ownership and he needed a fresh city to wash out that feeling. Turner ended up signing a two year deal with Houston, back in the state where he played his college ball. Chris Duarte also saw a change of scenery, signing with Memphis. The Pacers did hit their first target in free agency, signing Jerami Grant to a three year, 55 million dollar deal. The versatile forward looks to give Indy a switchable defender who can provide offensive help as a second or third scorer on the floor. The only two other signings the Pacers made were with vets Thaddeus Young and Robin Lopez.
The biggest splash for the league happened day one with Kyrie Irving signing with the Detroit Pistons. Irving pairing with Cade Cunningham and Jayden Ivey suddenly makes Detroit one of the must see teams of the new season. Next, Kristaps Porzingis signs with the Spurs to try to redefine his career. Jordan Poole stays in Cali, choosing to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers find reinforcements in big man Jacob Poeltl and wing Grant Williams. Bostons counters picking up Brook Lopez. Detroit adds to its firework of an offseason signing Johnathon Isaac to give them some defense and grit. Later, Mike Conley signs with Houston in order to provide some veteran leadership to a young and scrappy group. Just before the start of the season, OKC convinces Coby White to sign on a one year "prove it" deal to help him build some stock and provide some shot creation on a hungry Thunder team.
Roster Preview
The cornerstone of the young Pacers is point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton is coming off an all-star season where he become the number one offensive option and a pick and roll maestro. Behind him, a battle between vet TJ McConnell and rookie Jackie Strawberry takes place. McConnell gives a defensive pest and a veteran presence, whereas Strawberry gives some spot shooting and outstanding passing to the second unit. On the wing, Buddy Hield is keeping the starting spot on, as he gives great shooting. However, right behind him is second-year scorer Bennedict Mathurin. Coach Carlisle keeping him as the number one option for the second unit. Andrew Nembhard looks to possible find some minutes if injury occurs by giving some playmaking at a big guard size. Ontrel Ali understands its a development year for him, as he has been assigned to the G-league team to start the season. Reports out of camp say Trent Taylor, a third year undrafted pitbull who gives Indy some grit and offensive rebounding. Though he is undersized at 6'5 and hasn't proven to be a reliable shooter yet in his career. Rookie Treyvon Taylor, is developing and well most likely sit to start the season in order to get adjusted to the pro league. Jerami Grant has also been slotted in as a starter as a small ball four. This lets Grant use his speed and shooting ability to stretch out defenses. Jalen Smith is slatted to be the second guy off the bench, giving the Pacers the flexability to play big with him at the four, or play him at the five to get some shooting and defensive rim presence. Thaddeus Young knows his role as a reserve who can fill in case of an injury or foul trouble. At the center spot, Isaiah Jackson has shown some great improvement in camp with his defensive disruption and rim running ability. He continues developing his jumper, almost mirroring a poor man's Myles Turner. Daniel Theis gives a lot of basketball IQ and some shooting skill to the big rotation. Robin Lopez provides veteran leadership and team morale as a reserve for the big man group. Overall, Indiana hopes to make the play-in, with it's young core continuing to grow and build chemistry for the promising future.
Around the league, the East returns with staples like Joel Embiid and the 76ers, the Greek Freak and the Bucks, and the two headed dragon in Boston with Tatum and Brown. Although new blood looks to enter the fray as Detroit, Cleveland and Charlotte all have the potential to break out this year. Miami, New York and Atlanta are eyeing contender status after disappointing finishes to the last season. Out west, the Nuggets begin their title defense in a conference of young and hungry competitors with the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, three veteran teams in the LA Clippers, LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors, look to retool and reload for another championship push. We haven't even mentioned upside teams like New Orleans, Sacramento and Dallas. This NBA season looks as wide open as ever.
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