Having a decent bench is going to be important if we hope to maintain the higher pace we've been playing at so far this year. 82 games at a fast pace will wear out the starters quick if we have to play them big, big minutes.
The games didn’t count for anything, but Indiana’s reserves posted an aggregate bench net rating of plus-8.6 points per 100 possessions during the team’s four-game preseason slate, a mark which ranked above league average. Albeit, mediocrity typically isn’t something to aspire toward; however, for the Pacers, surpassing that threshold is noteworthy.
As opposed to last season, when only the benches of the Sixers (minus-6.0) and Magic (minus-11.1) were worse than that of the Pacers (minus-4.6), the early fit of Indiana’s reserves certainly appears less awkward.
Lance Stephenson, who went an impressive 7-of-9 on the field goals he attempted as the pick and roll ball-handler, led all bench scorers in his fresh role as sixth man with 13.3 points per contest. T.J. Leaf scored an eye-popping 1.227 points per possession, which placed him in the (small sample size alert!) 91st percentile, and while Domantas Sabonis only shot 33.3 percent from three on a measly three attempts, he’s capable of scoring in a variety of ways around the basket and won’t be the complete non-threat beyond the arc that Lavoy Allen, Kevin Seraphin, and Al Jefferson each were last season.
https://www.indycornrows.com/2017/10/11/16455004/pacers-bench-may-no-longer-be-a-complete-dreg-on-the-starters
