Maybe the Pacers had it figured out all along.
Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3).
Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3). |
It may not be ideal, but the Indiana Pacers have an obvious solution to their center problems following Myles Turner’s departure, and it is simply to just continue riding with the guys they already have.
Replacing someone like Turner, who played a big part in Indiana’s NBA Finals appearance and is among the best stretch bigs in the league, is not going to be an easy task. Doing so in one offseason will be borderline impossible.
As the Pacers prepare for a gap year with Tyrese Haliburton likely missing all of next season, they are likely going to hand out some more opportunities to their young guys, such as Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, and Jarace Walker. However, they could also do the same thing for their centers, who will have a unique opportunity with Turner now in Milwaukee.
Indiana has already exercised Tony Bradley’s team option for next season, and they extended a qualifying offer to Isaiah Jackson, making him a restricted free agent. Furthermore, Thomas Bryant is still a free agent, and it would not be a totally bad idea to take another flier on James Wiseman, who looked solid in preseason last year.
All of these big men possess different skillsets and bring value to the Pacers in different ways. As Indiana looks to address their center needs in a bare market, they may just need to run it back and see what sticks during what will be a gap year anyway.
The Pacers have a tough predicament at center
One of the biggest problems with letting Turner walk for nothing in free agency is that the Pacers are likely not going to be able to find a full-time replacement for him. There are few big men in the NBA who can stretch the floor and protect the rim as well as he can, and he was the perfect fit in Indiana’s system. Regardless, he is now out the door, and the team has to find some answers.
The free agent market is slim, and the Pacers are not likely going to find anybody in the trade market who can come close to matching Turner’s impact. That’s why, even if they are not flashy names, letting it rock with last year’s center crew may be their best (and probably cheapest) option.
Of course, the Pacers are not likely going to roster four centers next year, but they all at least deserve an opportunity to shine in training camp and preseason. All four of these players are familiar with the system and have shown flashes at different points.
Bradley solidified himself as a legitimate rebounder last year and came up big in the playoffs multiple times. Furthermore, Bryant has the ability to stretch the floor (though not to Turner’s level) and was a solid backup last season. As for Jackson and Wiseman, both of them are coming off Achilles injuries, but they each provide a lot of intrigue and potential.
This is not a great situation for the Pacers to be in, but they still have a great opportunity to experiment a little with their roster and try different things out. As they aim to navigate the rest of the way without Turner, the Pacers will have a lot of questions to answer. However, not all is lost, and calling on some familiar faces might prove to be their best bet.
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