Early predictions for the Pacers 2025-26 record

[JMaster5K]

Edit: My heart says 50,... my belief says 50,... my brain says 43.

I'm always optimistic in the summer but I can't get over around 45. Best result could be to make the play-in, but lose and drop into the lottery.

Then have our first ‘Mavs moment’ & get drawn in the top 3, of a stacked draft, when we started with < a 4% chance. Yeah,… I can dream. :lol

[Wizop]

Then have our first ‘Mavs moment’ & get drawn in the top 3, of a stacked draft, when we started with < a 4% chance. Yeah,… I can dream. :lol

conspiracy theorists would say that would make up for our Knicks/Ewing moment.

[JMaster5K]

Just gonna leave this here,...

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[JMaster5K]

and this one,...

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[davidfr94]

Edit: My heart says 50,... my belief says 50,... my brain says 43.

I'm always optimistic in the summer but I can't get over around 45. Best result could be to make the play-in, but lose and drop into the lottery.

It depends a lot on andrew's development imo. If he is as good as i think he is, we can make it over 45. If he struggles with efficiency, especially on his 3 ball, and turnovers, yeah it is going to be hard winning more than 45.

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[Wizop]

Edit: My heart says 50,... my belief says 50,... my brain says 43.

I'm always optimistic in the summer but I can't get over around 45. Best result could be to make the play-in, but lose and drop into the lottery.

It depends a lot on andrew's development imo. If he is as good as i think he is, we can make it over 45. If he struggles with efficiency, especially on his 3 ball, and turnovers, yeah it is going to be hard winning more than 45.

Sent from my 2409BRN2CY using RealGM mobile app

I think it depends more on Mathurin than Nembhard. If Benn can be a 20 point scorer, Drew can be a passer and spent his energy on defense. Aaron will also need to be a scorer. But to get to your 50, I think requires a huge jump from Walker or Furphy and a solid surprise from the centers.

[JMaster5K]

I'm always optimistic in the summer but I can't get over around 45. Best result could be to make the play-in, but lose and drop into the lottery.

It depends a lot on andrew's development imo. If he is as good as i think he is, we can make it over 45. If he struggles with efficiency, especially on his 3 ball, and turnovers, yeah it is going to be hard winning more than 45.

Sent from my 2409BRN2CY using RealGM mobile app

I think it depends more on Mathurin than Nembhard. If Benn can be a 20 point scorer, Drew can be a passer and spent his energy on defense. Aaron will also need to be a scorer. But to get to your 50, I think requires a huge jump from Walker or Furphy and a solid surprise from the centers.

IMO,... we just 1 person to level up,... and maybe 1 or 2 others to contribute? I'm pretty sure that Benn can be a 20ppg guy. But, can he do it without bogging down the offense by trying to ISO his man? If he can play while making faster decisions, within the flow, without catching & holding the ball,... then I'd be happy with 17 or 18 PPG. He would draw a ton of attention, create gravity, but help the team get more efficient instead of less efficient. He's shown flashes of it. Now is his chance,... I believe he can do it.

The area that I think will make a bigger difference,... Benn's defense. He has been better, but off ball he still loses his man fairly often & allows the other team to bend our defense as a result,... but as Sam Vecenie said on his end of year Pacers podcast, his on-ball defense was mostly ok this year,...with stretches where it was actually good.

IF, Benn is more focused on D,... the on-ball pressure guy, fronting the defense, pressing the full court,... and free up to Drew to handle the next man up? it would give Drew that little bit of rest during each game so he could lead the offense, and probably make our defense tougher? Which would leave Aaron being Aaron,... and Pascal on the other wing? With that level of perimeter defense, any of the 5's should be able to adequately, or better, defend the rim.

If we get quality depth from Jarace this year,... as we should, or move on? Then this team, though different, should be just as deep, just as tough, and just as fun to watch as the previous versions.

[Wizop]

The area that I think will make a bigger difference,... Benn's defense. He has been better, but off ball he still loses his man fairly often & allows the other team to bend our defense as a result,... but as Sam Vecenie said on his end of year Pacers podcast, his on-ball defense was mostly ok this year,...with stretches where it was actually good.

IF, Benn is more focused on D,... the on-ball pressure guy, fronting the defense, pressing the full court,... and free up to Drew to handle the next man up? it would give Drew that little bit of rest during each game so he could lead the offense, and probably make our defense tougher?

I feel confident that if Benn doesn't defend and play within the offense, he'll find himself on the bench.

[JMaster5K]

The area that I think will make a bigger difference,... Benn's defense. He has been better, but off ball he still loses his man fairly often & allows the other team to bend our defense as a result,... but as Sam Vecenie said on his end of year Pacers podcast, his on-ball defense was mostly ok this year,...with stretches where it was actually good.

IF, Benn is more focused on D,... the on-ball pressure guy, fronting the defense, pressing the full court,... and free up to Drew to handle the next man up? it would give Drew that little bit of rest during each game so he could lead the offense, and probably make our defense tougher?

I feel confident that if Benn doesn't defend and play within the offense, he'll find himself on the bench.

Agree. I believe that’s why Coach told him & his agent ‘the starting spot is his to lose’.

I do believe they will put him in a role on defense that we haven’t seen him play. That role imo will be critical to the team success this year.

[Pacers Forever]

Did anyone see that Aaron Nesmith hosted the team at his home in Charlotte this season ? I saw a photo I think from the Pacers account and some of the commenters were talking about how Furphy looked bigger. I hope Furphy pushes Walker to improve because I think Furphy is going to get minutes early on.