Is it too early to look at the lottery?

[8305]

There are three players in this draft who grade similar to Cooper Flag (per Sam Veceine). Odds for a lottery team are 3 times stronger than last year to get a franchise changing player. That seems like a big deal. Don’t know that the position matters? Just get one of the top three. If current circumstances persist another week or so Pacers could be buried.

[JMaster5K]

There are three players in this draft who grade similar to Cooper Flag (per Sam Veceine). Odds for a lottery team are 3 times stronger than last year to get a franchise changing player. That seems like a big deal. Don’t know that the position matters? Just get one of the top three. If current circumstances persist another week or so Pacers could be buried.

Yeah,... there are 3 that grade similar to Flagg right now,... with as many as 7 more that could be in that same neighborhood, or close enough to it to become franchise players. You are right,... IF we are going to have an gap year,... this is the year to do it!

[MrGoat]

This is clearly the year to do it, especially in our current situation

[basketballwacko2]

There are three players in this draft who grade similar to Cooper Flag (per Sam Veceine). Odds for a lottery team are 3 times stronger than last year to get a franchise changing player. That seems like a big deal. Don’t know that the position matters? Just get one of the top three. If current circumstances persist another week or so Pacers could be buried.

Yep this team is a wreck compared to what they were last season. The injury bug is biting deep. Got Nembhard back last night and lost again.

Looks like time to rebuild on the fly again, let's say it's Jan 10th and we are 6-30 with the trade deadline coming up? Do you trade out of Siakam and get a big package? Maybe even trade some other guys and try to get 2 picks in the stacked draft of 2026?

Is it time for a Tank-O-Rama!

[Wizop]

No reason to trade Siakam. Haliburton, Mathurin, and Obi will eventually return.

[basketballwacko2]

Great teams are made when adversity strikes.

Remember when the Pacers traded Sabonis for Haliburton? Everybody was getting hurt, Turner was out for the season, the pacers trade LeVert for Rickie Rubio and draft picks, became Nembhard and Shepherd. They got the 6th pick that year and got Mathurin.

This could be the opportunity to reload again. I'd at least consider trade packages for Siakam, which teams might or could offer enough to get him?

[basketballwacko2]

No reason to trade Siakam. Haliburton, Mathurin, and Obi will eventually return.

Haliburton is out for the season and it looks like Obi is probably out for the season as well. IDK what Mathurin's prognosis is or TJ?

[Wizop]

I can see trading Mathurin but not Siakam. Not sure who I'd cut for a lottery pick.

[Pacers Forever]

I just can’t trade Siakam because this team needs a veteran presence other than TJ. Also Siakam has been our most consistent scorer besides Tyrese.

With our glut of young talent they really can’t rely on anyone to be a consistent scorer except Pascal and Tyrese. Nesmith, Mathurin, and Toppin you can only depend upon to be support for Tyrese and Pascal. Mathurin is probably the closest to becoming a consistent 20+ a night scorer.

Besides injuries our current biggest concern is that they have to find a stater at the 5 position for next season. Jackson, Huff, and Bradley at this point are struggling to even look like worthy backup 5 options. I’m not sure if any team will give up on a quality 5 by the trade deadline or if the draft will have a good player available at the 5 but to me that’s the priority if they want to get back to the playoffs.

I hate to say it but right now losing Myles has created a hole in the starting 5. I still think it was the right move to not overpay him and go into the tax. This is our gap season and now they have to find a 5 for next season that can plug the 5 hole.

[basketballwacko2]

I just can’t trade Siakam because this team needs a veteran presence other than TJ. Also Siakam has been our most consistent scorer besides Tyrese.

With our glut of young talent they really can’t rely on anyone to be a consistent scorer except Pascal and Tyrese. Nesmith, Mathurin, and Toppin you can only depend upon to be support for Tyrese and Pascal. Mathurin is probably the closest to becoming a consistent 20+ a night scorer.

Besides injuries our current biggest concern is that they have to find a stater at the 5 position for next season. Jackson, Huff, and Bradley at this point are struggling to even look like worthy backup 5 options. I’m not sure if any team will give up on a quality 5 by the trade deadline or if the draft will have a good player available at the 5 but to me that’s the priority if they want to get back to the playoffs.

I hate to say it but right now losing Myles has created a hole in the starting 5. I still think it was the right move to not overpay him and go into the tax. This is our gap season and now they have to find a 5 for next season that can plug the 5 hole.

This team might win 20 games the way it's going!

[basketballwacko2]

I just can’t trade Siakam because this team needs a veteran presence other than TJ. Also Siakam has been our most consistent scorer besides Tyrese.

With our glut of young talent they really can’t rely on anyone to be a consistent scorer except Pascal and Tyrese. Nesmith, Mathurin, and Toppin you can only depend upon to be support for Tyrese and Pascal. Mathurin is probably the closest to becoming a consistent 20+ a night scorer.

Besides injuries our current biggest concern is that they have to find a stater at the 5 position for next season. Jackson, Huff, and Bradley at this point are struggling to even look like worthy backup 5 options. I’m not sure if any team will give up on a quality 5 by the trade deadline or if the draft will have a good player available at the 5 but to me that’s the priority if they want to get back to the playoffs.

I hate to say it but right now losing Myles has created a hole in the starting 5. I still think it was the right move to not overpay him and go into the tax. This is our gap season and now they have to find a 5 for next season that can plug the 5 hole.

Trying to stay out of the "Tax" when you have 2 guys making $50 million or more per year is gonna be tough. Try to find a starting quality center and fit him into this teams salary structure.

The Pacers need to operate outside the tax unless they are going to the finals. Siakam will be 32 years old on April 2nd 2026. His value may never be higher than now there should be 4-5 teams that would want him. I'd think they could get a package as good as what Utah got out of Gobert at the deadline.

[basketballwacko2]

The Pacers held PG too long, did the same thing years ago with JO. They seem to be averse to risk. And hold onto guys too long.

[ReggiesKnicks]

The Pacers held PG too long, did the same thing years ago with JO. They seem to be averse to risk. And hold onto guys too long.

We do that, but I hope we are willing to sell Siakam if the price is right. I would need a team that is actively looking to add a piece for a title run and pay a premium price.

[Wizop]

The Pacers held PG too long, did the same thing years ago with JO. They seem to be averse to risk. And hold onto guys too long.

We do that, but I hope we are willing to sell Siakam if the price is right. I would need a team that is actively looking to add a piece for a title run and pay a premium price.

Do you not think we hope to make a title run in 2026-2027? How does trading Pascal further that hope?

[ReggiesKnicks]

The Pacers held PG too long, did the same thing years ago with JO. They seem to be averse to risk. And hold onto guys too long.

We do that, but I hope we are willing to sell Siakam if the price is right. I would need a team that is actively looking to add a piece for a title run and pay a premium price.

Do you not think we hope to make a title run in 2026-2027? How does trading Pascal further that hope?

No. I think it will take until 2027-2028 to return to his full self. At that point, I can't trust Pascal to be Pascal and would rather move on, which makes the value aspect the highest today.

I would shop Siakam but not sell to the highest offer unless it blew me out of the water.

[basketballwacko2]

The Pacers held PG too long, did the same thing years ago with JO. They seem to be averse to risk. And hold onto guys too long.

We do that, but I hope we are willing to sell Siakam if the price is right. I would need a team that is actively looking to add a piece for a title run and pay a premium price.

I had thought the Clippers and the Spurs might be contenders for Siakam, matching salary is tough and the Clips have no picks to trade.

[basketballwacko2]

The Pacers held PG too long, did the same thing years ago with JO. They seem to be averse to risk. And hold onto guys too long.

We do that, but I hope we are willing to sell Siakam if the price is right. I would need a team that is actively looking to add a piece for a title run and pay a premium price.

Do you not think we hope to make a title run in 2026-2027? How does trading Pascal further that hope?

I don't think the Pacers will make such a run in 2026-27, with no center and Tyrese coming off his Achilles injury it will take time to get him at full speed. Unless they get lucky and find a center for cheap money and or someone really takes a leap. I don't them being good enough to beat the Knicks or Cleveland, but that's a long time off and all kind of things can happen in 2 seasons.

[Pacers Forever]

I saw the first quarter of the Pacers game vs Utah and our power went out and surged in a way that fried my internet providers modem saving me from seeing the 3 quarter massacre yet to come.

So I was thinking about why the Pacers are 1-10 when they only lost an easily replaceable Turner.


Turner’s 2024-25 avg. points per game were 15.6

This season 5 position
Isiah Jackson 2025 avg. points per game are 7.9
Jay Huff and puff 2025 avg. points per game 5.7
2025 Tony Bradley is a +0.8 better points per game

So that’s 14.4 points combined to Myles 15.6 equaling - 1.2 less points at the 5. That’s manageable although it’s coming from 2 players.


Regardless of the 5 position scoring deficiency the real reason we’ve gone from a top solid team to 1-10 is injuries to date.

Mathurin 16.1
Obi 10.5
TJ 9.1
So that’s 35.7 points not being replaced by our roster not named Siakam or Nesmith.

Walker 11.1
Sheppard 7.2
J Robinson 5.2
Q Jax 11.9 <—injured
Furphy 2.7 <—-injured
Ray J 6.0 <—-currently DNP
T. Peter 1.7<—currently DNP
Kam Jones 0.0 <—-injured
TJ 0.0 <—-injured until tonight

No wonder the Pacers are getting smoked nightly. There’s no making up 35.7 points a game with the talent the Pacers have left available to play including recent signings. As hard as the coaching tries you also can’t manufacture compatibility between players who have played together very little. Even plugging Isiah Jax, Walker, and Sheppard into the lineup looks haphazard compared to the smooth play we’ve become accustomed to.

Maybe once Mathurin plus Quenton Jax are back and TJ is up to speed the Pacers can start winning some games. I’m not holding my breath though that this 2025-26 squad can mesh to turn things around.

[Wizop]

BYU plays UConn Saturday night on Fox. I've set it to record so I can watch the BTU forward expected to go in the top 3.

[basketballwacko2]

I saw the first quarter of the Pacers game vs Utah and our power went out and surged in a way that fried my internet providers modem saving me from seeing the 3 quarter massacre yet to come.

So I was thinking about why the Pacers are 1-10 when they only lost an easily replaceable Turner.


Turner’s 2024-25 avg. points per game were 15.6

This season 5 position
Isiah Jackson 2025 avg. points per game are 7.9
Jay Huff and puff 2025 avg. points per game 5.7
2025 Tony Bradley is a +0.8 better points per game

So that’s 14.4 points combined to Myles 15.6 equaling - 1.2 less points at the 5. That’s manageable although it’s coming from 2 players.


Regardless of the 5 position scoring deficiency the real reason we’ve gone from a top solid team to 1-10 is injuries to date.

Mathurin 16.1
Obi 10.5
TJ 9.1
So that’s 35.7 points not being replaced by our roster not named Siakam or Nesmith.

Walker 11.1
Sheppard 7.2
J Robinson 5.2
Q Jax 11.9 <—injured
Furphy 2.7 <—-injured
Ray J 6.0 <—-currently DNP
T. Peter 1.7<—currently DNP
Kam Jones 0.0 <—-injured
TJ 0.0 <—-injured until tonight

No wonder the Pacers are getting smoked nightly. There’s no making up 35.7 points a game with the talent the Pacers have left available to play including recent signings. As hard as the coaching tries you also can’t manufacture compatibility between players who have played together very little. Even plugging Isiah Jax, Walker, and Sheppard into the lineup looks haphazard compared to the smooth play we’ve become accustomed to.

Maybe once Mathurin plus Quenton Jax are back and TJ is up to speed the Pacers can start winning some games. I’m not holding my breath though that this 2025-26 squad can mesh to turn things around.

So how is Turner's skill set "easy" to replace? He's a good shooter from 3 pt range, good defender and good shot blocker. I can't think of another player who blocks two shots a game and shoots 36% from 3 and is a good over all defender.