10 thoughts on the Pacers season opening win
It's a one-game sample size, but reactions (and overreactions) to the Indiana Pacers season opening win against the Washington Wizards are necessary.
1). Tyrese Haliburton is the perfect face of the Pacers’ franchise — on and off the floor.
This is a pretty obvious take from the first game of the season. We already knew this before the season started, but I don’t want to undervalue what Tyrese means to this organization and fan base. When he was announced last during the opening night player introductions, the energy in the arena went to a higher place. As he grabbed the microphone to thank Pacers’ fans for attending the game as they welcomed in a new season, there was an emotional connection you could feel between both Haliburton and the fans in attendance.
Locking up their franchise player for another 5-years after his rookie deal concludes this season, gives fans someone to invest in for several years to come. Haliburton is special, and his specialness was on display in the Pacers 143-120 whomping of the Wizards opening night. He had just 5-points to start the 2nd half, but then went on to score 11-points in 4-minutes to start the 3rd quarter. He finished the game with 20-points, 11-assists, 2-blocks and a steal in just 27-minutes of play. The Pacers have their franchise cornerstone, and he is on a quest to becoming one of the greatest point guards to ever play not just for the Pacers, but in the NBA.
2). The Pacers have the best backup point guard in the NBA and his name is Andrew Nembhard.
Speaking of great point guards, the Pacers have an excellent backup point guard in Andrew Nembhard. While he started 60+ games last year as the team’s starting shooting guard, Coach Carlisle has shuffled the rotations and is making Nembhard the team’s backup point guard, which is his more natural position. Not only is he a smooth operator with the ball in his hands, he’s also a stout defender who continues to grow in that area.
Nembhard’s court vision and ability to get into the paint is elite. He reads defenses so well and has such a great feel for the game (See video above - from @jonathancchenn on Twitter). Nembhard has what it takes to be a starting point guard in this league, but he’ll have to serve as the best backup point guard in the league with All-Star, Tyrese Haliburton, ahead of him on the depth chart. Thankfully, with Nembhard’s 6-5, 193-pound frame, he is able to play multiple positions and can close games alongside Haliburton. He is the steal of the 2022 NBA Draft.
3). The backup big conversation is no more. Jalen Smith has rightfully earned this spot and he has done the work in the offseason to solidify himself as a true 5.
Jalen Smith is oozing with confidence through 4-preseason games and 1-regular season game. He is a gifted rebounder who gives the Pacers’ extra offensive possessions. Smith is a force defensively with his ability to block shots as well as keep opposing big men off the glass. Shooting was a struggle of Smith’s last season, but he has looked more comfortable shooting from distance, and he showcased that Wednesday going 2-2 from outside the arc, while also leading the Pacers in scoring at the end of the 1st quarter.
Smith has a player-option after this season, but he re-signed in Indiana for a lesser contract than he could have received elsewhere. Now that Jalen has rightfully earned his role as a backup center (and is no longer being pigeonholed into the power forward position), he can focus on playing the position he is best suited for.
4). Bruce Brown was worth every penny.
From the moment he walked into the arena in brown overalls and a cowboy hat, you could tell it was going to be a special night for the 2023 NBA Champion and country music fanatic, Bruce Brown. He led the Pacers in scoring with 24-points, also setting a career-high in 3-pointers made (6). He was smiling from ear to ear the entire game. Brown was brought into be an upgrade for the Pacers’ defense, which he clearly is, but he also is an underappreciated offensive player who can impact the game in a drastic way with his versatility.
After the game, he joined Tyrese Haliburton in the postgame press conference. He praised the fans for their contributions and wanted to get the win for them. Haliburton had some comments on Bruce Brown’s exuberant outfit: “The hat was cool, but naked under the overalls is crazy.” If Brown can contribute at this high a level all season long, I don’t think Coach Carlisle or Tyrese Haliburton will have a problem with whatever outfit he decides to wear. And let’s be real — there are numerous country music fans in the state of Indiana who are going to fully embrace the stylistic cowboy look over the course of the season.
5). Indiana has a budding star, and his name is Bennedict Mathurin. Or as Tyrese Haliburton said last year, “Bennedict Mathur-HIM”.
Everyone all offseason long highlighted that Bennedict Mathurin needs to evolve as a playmaker and a defender. Well, after night one (and preseason play) you can see solid improvements. Mathurin dished out 5-assists and only had 2-turnovers. He has shown progress defensively, staying out of foul trouble and staying disciplined. Overall, Mathurin wasn’t efficient offensively, shooting 6-15, but he still added 18-points in just 26-minutes.
During this game he had offensive bursts that were key to the Pacers going on a run in the 2nd quarter. He finished just one-shot attempt below Haliburton (16) which I believe is a good sign for him after having some preseason games where he took 6 or less attempts. He is pivotal for the Pacers taking a leap, but he has the mindsight and the work ethic to evolve into a star, and the early returns indicate that he is headed in the right direction to be Haliburton’s right-hand man.
6). Buddy Hield is more than just a shooter.
Indiana is the perfect fit for Buddy Hield. Offensively, the system that Carlisle runs puts Buddy in the best position to be successful. While playing the majority of his career in Sacramento, he was never given the freedom to be more than a scorer, but that hasn’t been the case in Indiana.
Throughout the preseason and the first regular season game, we have seen Buddy show flashes as a facilitator. In the first 2-preseason games, he was the backup point guard. Then, once Haliburton and Nembhard returned to action, he went back to playing the wing position. While he still shot an exceptional 4-7 from three, he finished with 5-assists on opening night and proved once again that he can be more versatile than just a scorer.
7). Fouling continues to be a problem for this team.
Let’s get to an area of weakness for this team. The Pacers 2-centers, Turner and Smith had a combined 8-fouls by the middle of the 3rd quarter. The team in general committed 23-fouls to Washington’s 11. This was an area of concern all preseason long, and it appears to be something to monitor moving forward with the regular season.
The Pacers can’t afford to make dumb fouls. They have to learn to guard without placing their hands on defenders. This allows the offensive player opportunities to draw fouls because the Pacers players have their hands in bad guarding positions. Learning to be disciplined with pump fakes is also important for this group moving forward.
8). About that defense — these Pacers are still a long way away from being a Top 20 defensive team.
Both Tyrese Haliburton and Rick Carlisle were displeased with the first quarter defense that surrendered 39-points. However, they praised the team’s defensive efforts for holding Washington under 30-points in the remaining three quarters (2nd - 29, 3rd - 28 and 4th - 24). While expectations aren’t high for this team defensively, keeping opponents under 30-points per quarter still doesn’t sound ideal.
The Pacers goal should be to keep their opponents at 28.5-points or less per quarter, which would have them surrendering on average 114-points per game. According to teamrankings.com, teams that gave up 114-points per game were in the 15-17 range. The Pacers allowed opponents to score 119.5 points per game, which was 29th in the NBA. This means the Pacers’ opponents were scoring 29.875 points per quarter, which was 2nd worst in the league.
It will take time for the Pacers to grow as a defensive unit, but shaving off 5.5 points per game, or closer to that, doesn’t seem like an impossible feat. However, if they continue to start out slow like they did against Washington, they will have a long season ahead of them — as there are numerous teams in the league that have a deeper and more skilled offensive group than a rebuilding Washington Wizards squad.
9). Finally having a power forward with incredibly athleticism makes things easier for how the Pacers want to play.
While the verdict is still out on one, Obadiah (Obi) Richard Toppin Jr., one thing is certain — Obi Toppin is one of the most athletic players to play the power forward position in Pacers’ history. Athleticism doesn’t mean that he’s the most talented, but that he is the most capable player to do things athletically that no other Pacers’ four man has done. His ability to run the floor and get out in transition is an added bonus for this Pacers’ offense.
Toppin is more than capable of scoring the basketball, but he is better off as a beneficiary of Tyrese Haliburton’s exhilarating playmaking. Toppin shot 40% from three (2/5) and added 11-points total on 4-9 shooting. While he is still trying to find his offensive balance with a team that has so many mouths to feed offensively, he is taking it in strides, pouncing when there is an opportunity, but not overstepping boundaries and trying to force unnecessary offense.
There is a lot to like with how Toppin has fit in with the Pacers thus far, but he still has to prove he’s worthy of a hefty payday come the end of the season. While putting up impressive stat lines is important for a player in a contract season, fitting in with Tyrese and the team in general is the best way to get re-signed. Indiana has another athletic power forward, who they drafted, by the name of Jarace Walker. Once Walker cracks his way into the rotation, things will get interesting for how Toppin’s future works out — but for now, this opportunity is 100% Obi Toppin’s to lose.
10). The Pacers have the most talented third string unit in the NBA.
With TJ McConnell leading the group, this is clearly the most talented 3rd string group in the entire NBA. Indiana had a 9-man rotation to start the season on opening night, but by the end of the game, 14-players had played in the game, while the 1-player who didn’t see the floor, Daniel Theis, is by far the best 4th string center in NBA history. With two athletic big men in Isiaah Jackson and Jarace Walker, a sharp shooting wing combination of Ben Sheppard and Jordan Nwora and a wily veteran steadying the ship, this unit has the right mix to make final minutes of blowouts and beatdowns worth watching.
This Pacers team is far too talented for most of these 5 to not see the floor on a regular basis — but there is only so much playing time to hand out. For Rick Carlisle to publicly address the fact that he had to tell McConnell that he wouldn’t get minutes in the 9-man rotation and that it nearly brought him to tears, tells you how talented this roster truly is. It’s great to have so many talented players to fall back on if injuries do occur, but you can also see why a few of these players might prefer to find a new destination so they can get consistent playing time.