One thought heaven and one thought hell. Analysis of Pacers lineup next season. The problem of No. 5 position is basically unsolvable.

It is no exaggeration to say that last season's finals journey was like a dream for the Pacers. It is not an exaggeration to say it is heaven. The Pacers team has a very long history, which can be traced back to the ABA period in 1967. However, since joining the NBA with the ABA League in 1976, it has been half a century, and it has not won a championship once. Even the number of times they scored in the championship was only twice last season (the last time was also traced back to the Reggie Miller period in the 1999-2000 season).

The Pacers are so dissatisfied, and there are many reasons. But the most important thing is that Pacers' bosses don't like to invest money in it. For example, the current boss Hao Bo Simon, who is in charge of the Pacers, has been in charge for twenty years since the 2005-2006 season and has never paid luxury taxes, including last season, the league president Xiao Hua took office in 13 years, which means that since Xiao Hua took office, he has never seen money from Indiana...

However, this practice was loosened in the playoffs last season, because the Pacers' performance was too amazing last season, and Simon also said that he was willing to increase investment in the team's championship.

But this is not warm. With Halliburton's injury in the finals, the Pacers' strength will inevitably decline sharply. Then you see that the Pacers this summer have not only not made any substantial reinforcement to the team, but also watched as Miles Turner, who had played for the team for ten years, was let go of the reason.

As the saying goes, heaven of thought, hell of thought, all the plans of the future of the walker are wiped out with Halliburton's injury. After sending Turner away, the walker inevitably falls into decline. In the next year, or several years, it is not an exaggeration to say that the walker's situation is hell.

So the question is, what lineup will the Pacers who will lose two major starters and core next season? Let’s analyze this article carefully.

Starting No. 1: Andrew Nembhard, date of birth: January 2000, the 31st overall pick in the second round of 2022, last season's data: played 69 games, averaged 29 minutes per game, scored 10 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, double shooting percentage 46% + 29%, contract status: 39.33 million in 2 years.

I have to say that the Pacers really found a treasure in the 22 draft. This draft template is Austin Rivers' big defender. The deepest impression in last year's playoffs was that they were very defensive. Last year's Eastern Conference Finals Buhad defended the Knicks core Brunson alone, allowing the latter to hand in several games with extremely inefficient games. It was one of the key figures in the Pacers' ability to advance to the finals.

In addition to being able to defend, Buhad is as versatile as Rivers, able to assist, revitalize teammates, and able to support him. His personal offensive breakthrough ability is slightly worse, but it is also enough, and he basically doesn't shoot very well, but the three-pointers are very accurate. Although you only have a 29% shooting percentage in the regular season, Buhad has actually made more than 46% of the three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs for two consecutive years (a total of 40 games). Yes, you read that right, it's just like this. As soon as you enter the playoffs, Buhad's three-pointer was like a gaze, and he drifted into the basket.

The 22-year second round No. 1 pick is expected to get a lot of leveling time next season, and the Pacers will also intend to cultivate Buhad's ability to hold the ball. Halliburton's injury this time has a huge impact on his future career. Few people can return to their peak state when the Achilles tendon ruptures. Once Halliburton does not work after returning, Buhad is the answer to the Pacers' back line in the future.

Second starting position: Benedict Mathering, born in June 2002, ranked 6th in the first round in 2022, played 72 games last season, including 49 starts, averaged 30 minutes per game, scored 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, with a double shooting percentage of 46% + 34%, contract status: 9.19 million in the fourth year rookie contract.

Muserlin is a rookie with Buhad, and Matherlin's pick is much higher than Buhad, but four years later, the situation of the two is very different. Buhad had already obtained a 20 million contract issued by the Pacers last year, while Matherlin was only the fourth year of the player option executed by the team, which was equivalent to the four-year rookie child labor contract being fully beaten by him.

The current Warriors management is overwhelmed by Kumingga's contract renewal. In fact, after the end of next season, Mathering is very likely to become Kumingga of the Pacers.

First of all, Matherin has abilities, and is very strong. Like the draft template Kumaba Oladipo, he has strong athletic talent and personal singles ability. He holds the ball and attacks, three-pointers, mid-range shots and free throws are all Matherin's offensive weapons. He likes physical confrontation on the offensive end and is keen on making free throws. In the past three years, he has been able to average 16 points per game almost every year. This is also when the outside world generally believes that the Pacers are suppressing Matherin and only let him play as a substitute.

But the problem is that Matherin's unique style of playing is incompatible with the Pacers. Pacers have played team basketball in recent years. As soon as Matherin got on, it completely disrupted the team's established tactical system. Therefore, in recent years, the Pacers insisted on letting Matherin play the sixth man. At the beginning of last season, the Pacers transferred Matherin to the starter. They thought they wanted to reuse him, but they were transferred again in the playoffs. The finals suppressed Matherin more obvious. Every time they were at the end of their lives, they remembered Matherin..

G2 Thunder defeated the Pacers and tied the big score at 1:1, and the G3 Pacers arranged for Matherin to enter the rotation in advance. As a result, Matherin played very well. He scored 9 of 12 shots in 22 minutes and scored the team's highest 27 points, helping the Pacers lead 2:1. As a result, G4 did not let Matherin come on, so he let him play for 13 minutes in the game.

In the last tiebreak, Halliburton played 7 minutes and was seriously injured. The Pacers, who were forced to do nothing, remembered Mathering again. Mathering played the longest 33 minutes of the series and scored the highest 24 points in the team. None of the other Pacers players scored 20 points, and the Pacers still lost. Mathering failed to make a start in one game in the finals, and averaged 12 points per game in less than 20 minutes.

Matherin was rubbed by people on the Pacers, and they were rubbed away, and they were called and left as soon as possible. They did not renew their contracts in advance, so that they could have been child labor for four years. This means that he has a good temper and would have been bad-faced if others had been, but this matter must be understood next season. According to Matherin's market, the annual salary is guaranteed at a minimum of 30 million. If the Pacers give it, they have to break the tradition of twenty years and pay luxury tax.

I guess it is unlikely to break the tradition for Mathering. Don’t forget there is a lesson in the past. Turner, who has played for the team for ten years, left just by saying that? So Mathering, get ready to pack up the bedding and go to shine elsewhere to heat it up. This is not a bad thing for you. Stay in the walker and have no future.

The starting number three position: Pascal Siakam, date of birth: April 1994, last season's data, played 78 games, averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game, with a double shooting percentage of 52% + 39%, contract status: 147 million in 3 years, salary next season: 45.68 million.

Sica has nothing to say. Except for holding the ball, all other abilities are top-notch. They are born for the second-in-command, and they won the contract. For Sika, it is a dead end before them. Staying in this Pacers is a waste of his few peaks. Sika, born in 1994, will be 32 years old next season, and after fulfilling this contract, he will be 35 years old. At that time, he may not necessarily want to go out to hug his thighs.

Sica is just too honest. She basically doesn't make a lot of trouble off the field. If the Pacers don't trade him, he probably won't leave the team or something. In fact, when the Pacers decide to give up Turner, Sika should have made a decisive deal.

From the Pacers' management, Sika is different from James' idol star. Sika is a hard-working talent and has ability on the field, but does not attract box office and does not have many fans. It is better to trade him instead of keeping him in the team for a few years. With Sika's strength and salary, it is still no problem to change a potential star + 1-2 first-round draft picks.

After all, Li Shengjie once said, "The last love is to let go of your hands, don't be a sea in the middle of a double bed..."

Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm going to visit the Taiwan.

Fourth starting position: Aaron Smith, born in October 1999, No. 14, the first round of 2020, last season's data: played 45 games, including 37 starters, averaging 12 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, double shooting percentage 51% + 43%, contract status: 22 million in 2 years. In the summer of 23, the Pacers renewed Aaron Smith for three years and 33 million yuan a year in advance. Now it seems that this contract is simply too profitable. At that time, for Aaron Smith, he was not in a hurry to renew the contract. There was still a full-year window period, but he still signed a hasty sign with the management. I guess the Pacers management bet that Aaron Smith had never seen a lot of money and tried the waters with a cheap contract, but Aaron Smith was really fooled.

I have to say that the Pacers' management is really a thief. Now that Aaron Smith is put on the free market, even if his salary doubles, there are still many people rushing to sign.

East Finals Opening Game, Aaron made 8 of 9 three-pointers and scored 30 points, becoming the first NBA player to have 6 three-pointers in a single quarter in the fourth quarter of the playoffs since 1998. Throughout the playoffs, Aaron Smith made 60 of 122 three-pointers, including 7 games in the finals, 17 of 35 three-pointers, and his shooting percentage was infinitely close to 50%!

More importantly, his defense is not rough, he is 198 cm tall, can defend against 1-5 positions, can chase the defender and can top the inside line, and play 4 positions for a long time in the Pacers. Such a person is simply a treasure. With his extremely cheap contract, he will be in the free market. He will never take action without two first rounds.

However, Aaron Smith was not lucky enough. He played for the Celtics when he was a rookie. The Celtics reached the finals and second place. He switched to the Pacers in 23 years. In the mid-season championship, he helped the Pacers reach the finals last year and was still second. However, the young man is only 26 years old next season and has great potential in the future.

James: What do you mean, little brother? Do you also want to break my record of 6 Asian finals?

Fifth position of starting: Well... Turner is gone. Although there is a large center in the Pacers and a forward who can play guest center, it looks like the quality is average and each has its own problems. According to the current situation, I don’t know who can start next season. Let’s take a look one by one.

No. 5 position alternative, NO.1: James Wiseman, date of birth: March 2001, height 213 cm, played 63 games in the Pistons last season, starting in 6 of which, averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds per game, shooting percentage of 61%, contract status: 1+1 team options totaling 5.7 million. Wiseman may have suffered a blow in the past two years. He is only 24 years old and looks so old...

Yes, Da Cangming is here for Pacers, and this contract is one of the most important signings for Pacers this summer. Da Cangming also spends more contracts. First of all, only 1 million out of 5.7 million in the past two years is guaranteed, and the other 4.7 million are not guaranteed, and the second year is still a team option. This shows that the Pacers management still does not trust Da Cangming very much. As long as he performs poorly, let him leave at any time.

By the way, Da Congming is the second place in 2020. Edwards, who was in the same class, had a maximum salary of 260 million yuan in five years, and Ball also had a 5-year salary of 230 million yuan in five years, while Wiseman only had 2-year and 5.7 million yuan in two years. In just six years, he became a miserable person. This summer, he even accepted the "humiliation" contract offered by the Pacers, which shows that his NBA career has reached the lowest point. If even the Pacers can't stay in next season, then his NBA career will basically end.

Wiseman is actually pretty good on the offensive end. It's okay to rely on his physical fitness to grab a rebound. The main problem of his difficulty in the NBA is defense. His defensive efficiency is among the last few in the NBA's more than 400 players. The most important thing is that his movement frequency and body language seem to be different from NBA players. His limbs have their own ideas, they have no projection and no organization, and their body is a little glassy, and they have suffered serious injuries due to season reimbursement for many years.

Alas, how to say it, let’s play next season. It’s not expensive anyway. Once you don’t play well, you can abandon it at any time. After all, when the Pacers management opened a contract for him, that’s what he thought.

No. 5 position alternative, NO.2: Isaiah Jackson, 208 cm tall, date of birth in January 2002, 22nd pick in the first round of 2021, was reimbursed for injury in the fifth game last season, and the contract status was 21 million in 3 years.

After Turner left the Pacers, the Pacers immediately renewed their contract with Jackson as a supplement. Jackson has nothing to say about his style of play. The typical black and hard-working style, the draft template Clarkston, just eat a cake on the offensive end, and the biggest selling point on the defensive end is assisting the blocks, and others don’t know. In addition to the limitations in his playing style, Jackson also has a very prominent problem, which is that he has too many fouls. The ball dealer urgently needs to recharge. He won’t talk about his reimbursement last season. He played 58 games last season and averaged 13 minutes per game to contribute 2.4 fouls in 13 minutes. That guy is really, with his eyebrows raised on the opposite side, Jackson’s body has flown out of two miles...

No. 5 position alternative, NO.3: Jay Huff, born in August 1997, he is 216 cm tall, last season’s data, played 64 games for the Grizzlies, 2 of which started, averaged 7 points and 2 rebounds per game, with a shooting percentage of 51%, contract status 2+1 player options totaling 8 million, and a salary of 2.4 million next season.

Two second round picks brought Haff from the Grizzlies, which is another addition to the inside. Since Turner left, he has signed Wiseman, renewed Jackson, and traded Haff. Every move is aimed at the inside, and I feel tired when I see it.

Haf has nothing to say, a white and soft player. Although he looks fierce with a big beard, he seems to be very strong, but in fact he is very weak, 216 cm tall and weighs less than 110 kilograms. As an inside tower, he averages two rebounds per game... Forget it, there is nothing to say, skip it...

No. 5 position alternative, NO.4: Tony Bradley, date of birth in January 1998, height 208 cm, contract status is insured by 2.94 million in one year.

Bradley signed with the 1+1 team option in the second half of last season. He is basically the team's third center and the team's third inside line in the playoffs. Therefore, the starting lineup next season probably has nothing to do with him. After Turner left, the Pacers executed Bradley's team option. In terms of the style of play, he has a mid-range shot that can get two points, and his attitude of grabbing rebounds is also relatively straight, but his talent is limited and he can't do anything about it. The above four players are the Pacers' inside rotation next season, with no one playing, all of them are scraps. If no trade is made, it is estimated that the Pacers' inside will be uglied next season.

However, there is still an inside player who played for the Pacers last season but has never received a contract. Thomas Bryant, the mop played well last season, but at least it is better than the above four products. But for some reason, there has never been any news that the Pacers renewed the mop. Maybe the Pacers' management has calculated that they have to pay taxes for renewal of the mop... I'm talking nonsense, I haven't calculated this specifically...

Okay, let's take a look at the substitute players in other positions -

9: TJ McConnell, date of birth in February 1992, played 79 games last season, one of which started, averaged 9 points, 4 assists and 1 steal per game, with a double shooting percentage of 52% + 31%, and a contract status of 33.75 million in 3 years.

McConnell has all the problems of passing and controlling the old point guard. He has slow speed, thin body, weak strength, poor impact, poor defense, and almost no potential or upper limit. However, he also has all the advantages of the traditional old point guard. He has solid skills, three-pointers, mid-range shots, good organizational ability, very stable play style, and most importantly, obedient, the head coach asked him to go east, and he would never look west.

McConnell played very well in the finals, and his outstanding performance was impressive, proving that there was a lot of oil left in his fuel tank. Such an old point guard is good to take the substitute in the next season.

10: Obi Topin, date of birth in March 1998, No. 8 rookie in the first round of 2020, played 79 games last season, including 4 starts, averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, a double shooting percentage of 53% + 36%, and a contract status of 3 years and 45 million.

Toping is what I said above. He is one of the forwards who can play guest-start. Tuoping is 208 cm tall. Although he is tall, he can play ball-holding attacks, especially those who are good at disrupting battles, run fast breaks, and perform well in the finals. However, the lack of confrontation is Tooping's life goal. He weighs less than 100 kilograms, his limbs are thin and visible to the naked eye, his vertical talent is also average, his rebounding efficiency is not high, and his ability to assist in defense is not strong, not to mention the top defense, and the pick-and-roll cannot hold anyone.

How to say, except for his height like the inside, Toppin has nothing to do with the inside. If you force such a person to put him on the inside, it is very likely that he will not be worth the loss. The inside is blown up, and Toppin's personal characteristics have not been shown...

What should the center forward next season do? I am so worried about Carlisle.

11: Ben Shepard, born in July 2001, No. 26, the first round of 2023, played 63 games last season, starting 9 of which, averaging 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, and a double shooting percentage of 42% + 34%. Contract status: a rookie contract in the third year, about 3.5 million.

Originally, after playing in the rookie season in the first two years, she felt that Shepard had no future, but this year's playoffs Shepard's performance was eye-catching. Although she could play for 14 minutes in each game, Shepard was really hard to defend. Shepard was desperately entangled in the SGA in the finals, and she didn't even allow the ball to be taken casually. She also made good three-pointers, and could seize the opportunity to open, and shot nearly 40%.

Shepard seems to have practiced a lot in the past two years. Through this year's playoffs, he has forced his potential and value back. Therefore, after entering the offseason, the first operation of the Pacers management was to execute Shepard's third-year rookie contract. But to be honest, Shepard has limited talent and best development is just a medium-sized 3D forward guard in the league. Maybe it will become one of the cash for next season.

12: Halliburton, contract status: 202 million in 4 years, salary this season is 45.55 million.

The Pacers' total salary is 181 million (including the two rookies selected in this year's draft), and the NBA office announced the starting line for luxury tax for next season is 187 million, which means that in theory, the Pacers still have about five or six million salary space for use. In this world, five or six million is as valuable as the two-dollar store in the past. It is hard to expect any decent players to bring...

But this money can allow veteran James Johnson to play for another year. Are the Pacers waiting for this?

—Summary—

Pacers who reached the finals last season could have created a big scene in team history, but as the saying goes, one thought paradise and one thought hell, all Pacers’ plans for the future made a 180-degree turn as Halliburton was injured. The team’s goal for next season will instantly fall from spending money to winning the championship to saving money and avoiding taxes and cultivating newcomers. As for the record, there is no longer a luxury.

And the most important thing is, as I said above, Halliburton suffered a serious injury that was enough to destroy his career. Few people in NBA history can recover from such serious injuries and return to the peak. Moreover, his contract is slightly premium compared to his personal strength, even if he is not injured. Once next season, Halliburton will perform poorly after his comeback, and the 200 million contract will instantly become a super premium contract. The team will inevitably enter a few years of reconstruction period. We can only wait slowly how the Pacers will go in the future.

Okay, that's all for this article. I wonder how the top brothers on the list view the Pacers next season? Let’s discuss it together in the comment area. Every day at 8 o’clock in the morning, Fireworks brings the freshest NBA stories. Clicking on follow and likes can let Fireworks’ articles be pushed to you as soon as possible. It will be updated regularly at 8 o’clock in the morning every day, don’t miss it!