Derran Cobb is a fourth-year journalism major and writes for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Indiana Pacers are 5-5 and sit at third place in the Eastern Conference.
There are five Pacers sidelined with injuries, and two of them are starters. Obi Toppin, ankle; Andrew Nembhard, knee; Aaron Nesmith, ankle; James Wiseman, achilles; Isaiah Jackson, achilles. Both Wiseman and Jackson are out indefinitely after suffering the same, non-contact injuries just a few games apart.
Here are three takeaways from Indiana’s average start to the season.
Bennedict Mathurin needs to remain a permanent starter
In Mathurin’s six games as a starter, he averaged 24.2 points per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 56 percent from three-point range to go with 8.2 rebounds per game.
I mentioned in my season preview that the Pacers needed him to provide much needed offensive production, but off the bench. However, it has become clear that he should be starting. The third year guard has seemingly embraced the role of being a heavy-hitting scorer on a roster built around offense.
He is currently second on the team in points per game (19.4) behind Pascal Siakam (20).
When Andrew Nembhard comes back from injury, I think the starting lineup of him, Tyrese Haliburton, Mathurin, Siakam and Myles Turner should be the permanent five.
Pacers need a backup center
As mentioned earlier, Jackson and Wiseman are both out indefinitely. Both young centers had looked improved in the preseason and the minutes they were able to provide so far in the regular season.
Wiseman has bounced around in his still young career, with Indiana being his third team in four seasons. In just five minutes in the Oct. 23 season opener against the Detroit Pistons, he posted six points and a rebound before suffering his season-ending injury.
Jackson was inserted into the starting lineup after Turner was unavailable for a few games and got his first start Oct. 30 against the defending champions — who defeated Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals — and posted an impressive statline of 10 points on 60 percent shooting to go with five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Then, a couple days later he suffered the same fate as Wiseman.
This leaves rookie Enrique Freeman as the sole backup big for Indiana. While he is a promising young player, if the Pacers are locked in on contention this season they’ll need to make some moves for another center to pair with Turner.
Some rumors swirling around the Association are that Bulls all-star center Nikola Vucevic, Nets center Nic Claxton, Jazz center Walker Kessler, Spurs center Zach Collins, and veteran free agent Javale McGee are all potential targets.
Jarace Walker’s development looks promising
In 2023, Indiana drafted Walker out of Houston after a draft night trade with the Washington Wizards but he didn’t see much action on the main roster last season, instead shining with the Indiana Mad Ants of the G-League.
Over the summer, the Pacers coaching staff announced they were going to have Walker play in guard scenarios, being one of the primary ball handlers in the summer league. He showed he could be counted on for ball handling, and now Carlisle has been giving him the opportunity.
He has looked pretty solid in his limited minutes this season, with his role increasing by the game, especially with the injuries piling up. His minutes doubled between October and November, and in turn so has his production.
In 19 minutes per game, Walker is averaging 7.2 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 from distance to go with nearly four rebounds and a steal. He posted two games in double figures, and his career-high 17 points (shooting perfect from the field, 7-for-7) against the Orlando Magic Nov. 6.
Walker has shown the growth in his game so far this season, and it’ll only get better.
Indiana continues its season Nov. 13 against the Magic for the third time this year, and starts its path back to the NBA Cup championship Nov. 15 against the Miami Heat.
Contact Derran Cobb via email at derrancobb@gmail.com or on X @Derran_cobb.
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