After being within arm’s length of the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2025, the Indiana Pacers are poised to make a similar run in the 2026-27 season as one of the top contenders in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Pacers’ 2025 playoff run was one of the most magical and unforeseen outcomes in the NBA’s postseason history, pushing the Oklahoma City Thunder to game 7 in the Finals before star point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the closing match. 

Haliburton’s unreal clutch performances were the driving factor in their deep push to the championship, where he hit a game-winner in each of their four series, so losing him in the biggest game of the playoffs and possibly in franchise history ended up being the final blow to their hopes of their first title. 

With an injury that severe, the Pacers were left without their floor general in the 2025-26 season, leading them to a franchise-worst record of 19-63. However, this upcoming year will prove to the rest of the league that their postseason magic is not a flash in the pan. 

Haliburton’s return to action on its own will bring the Pacers back to the playoffs, but what will truly propel this team to contention is their retooled roster.

After his abysmal performances in the Finals, former center Myles Turner took his “talents” to “Cream City,” joining the Milwaukee Bucks on a 4 year deal that paid him over $100 million. With a hole in the starting lineup, the Pacers struggled heavily on defense, dropping from 14th in defensive rating to 25th out of the thirty NBA teams.

However, the Pacers’ front office made a bold move to boost the starting lineup with a trade for the Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac. Sending over guard Bennedict Mathurin, center Isaiah Jackson, and their 2026 first-round draft pick only if it landed outside of the top five, the move was controversial to the fanbase as the team was projected to hold a top ten selection in a highly-touted draft class. Beyond the draft pick, Mathurin led the second unit in scoring and took a huge chunk of the bench’s production on offense, dividing the fans further. 

While the loss of the pick and Mathurin may prove costly, Zubac is a top center in the league who will greatly benefit from his fit on the Pacers and be a major contributor to the team. 

While Turner left the defense without a force on shot contests, one of his major flaws in his career is his rebounding. As a center, he has never hit a double-digit rebound average for a season with his highest on a year being 7.5 per game. His shot-blocking was a major benefit for the Pacers, but he lacked the strength to prevent players from dominating in the post, giving up lots of baskets against sturdier built power forwards and centers. 

Bringing in Zubac as Turner’s replacement will bolster the team in every area the former center lacked in. In his career, Zubac averages 8.3 rebounds per game, totalling more over a span of ten years than Turner had at his peak in a single season. Defensively, Zubac outclasses Turner in recent seasons, posting better defensive ratings in the past five years. The league acknowledged his defensive prowess with an All-Defensive Second Team nod while Turner has yet to be recognized even with his years leading the NBA in blocked shots. 

Besides the upgrades at the center position, Zubac fits in perfectly with the offense. Haliburton thrives off pick-and-roll action, crafting sneaky maneuvers and flashy assists off of screens. Zubac ranked among the top roll men in the NBA, so pairing up Haliburton with one of the best screeners in the NBA will greatly boost the offense’s production.

His presence on the interior will generate more focus in the paint, allowing for the team’s top shooters, guards Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard and Haliburton, to create open looks from beyond the three-point line. 

While the Pacers’ biggest acquisition for this upcoming season is Zubac, the team nabbed some great role players in free agency and the draft. To upgrade the bench unit in the wake of losing Mathurin, the front office picked up forward Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. 

Oubre brings less scoring to the team than Mathurin, but his ability to fit into the Pacers’ offense makes him a suitable replacement. One of the biggest issues with Mathurin was his focus on isolation play while the offense focused on a balanced team effort to score, which clashed often whenever he played with the starters. With Oubre, he can plug in with the best players on the team and provide great backup without taking away from their performance. 

Meanwhile, Nance can contribute greatly to rebounding on the second unit after Jackson’s departure. His interior defense will also give a great boost to the bench alongside forward Jarace Walker. 

With their lone draft pick in the second round following the Zubac transaction, the Pacers made another trade to move up and nab the hometown hero from Purdue: guard Braden Smith. While still very young, his experience as the assist record breaking floor general in West Lafayette can provide the bench with playmaking and shooting. His size may prove to be the main downside to his game, but guard T.J. McConnell, as a dominant undersized player, will be a great mentor to Smith and help guide his development in the NBA to work around that disadvantage.

Each of their acquisitions over the summer in free agency and the draft contributed to bolstering their already stellar second unit, giving key bench players such as McConnell, Walker, forward Obi Toppin and center Jay Huff much needed support to continue their high level of play.

However, a good group of players is nothing without a great playcaller. Head coach Rick Carlisle has proved his wizardry with strategies revolving around each individual aspect of his players, leading the Dallas Mavericks to an unbelievable championship run before nearly doing the same with the Pacers. 

In the landscape of sports, schemes get adjusted in order to keep up with the ever-evolving game and Carlisle’s coaching adapts to a level beyond the standard with each year he operates a team. 

During the 2024-25 season and playoffs, he trained his players to play at a speed that no other team could keep up with. The Pacers ranked 7th in pace during the regular season and proceeded to control the tempo in every series in the playoffs, playing at a faster pace than each opponent. 

Their speed was the key aspect of the team that helped propel them to the Finals and created the unreal comebacks they pulled off. The New York Knicks proved the success of Carlisle’s strategy in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Pacers mounted a 14-point comeback with three minutes left in the game, taking the match to overtime where Indiana stole the first game of the series. Their fast-paced offense allowed them to catch up with the Knicks as the clock ticked down scoring a high volume of points in a short period of time to regain control of the match.

With a new group of players this year, Carlisle is expected to swap up his plans while staying true to the pace that Indiana became known for in the 2024-25 season. 

A roster of upgrades and one of the greatest minds in basketball combine together to form one of the top contenders in the upcoming NBA season. The Pacers may have missed out on their closest reach to a title in franchise history, but they will have their opportunity again to shock the league and come out on top with an upgraded version of their Finals team. 

Categories: News