How close are the Indiana Pacers to completing their young core for the future?

Indiana finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 35-47, good enough to put them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. They tied with the Washington Wizards at 35 wins, putting both franchises five games behind the Chicago Bulls for a spot in the Play-In tournament.

12 players will be under contract for the Pacers during the 2023-24 season, according to Spotrac. Guard George Hill and forwards Oshae Brissett and James Johnson make up Indiana’s unrestricted free agents for the 2023 offseason. Guard Gabe York and forward Kendall Brown are listed as restricted free agents.

As its Central Division opponents strengthen around it, the Pacers will need to do all they can to match the firepower of some of the Midwest’s more formidable squads, two of which made the NBA playoffs last season.

The Pacers will have the No. 7, 26, 29, 32 and 55 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. They can trade the No. 7 pick for more experienced options and round out the bench with their later selections. If forwards Jarace Walker and Taylor Hendricks fall to Indiana in the top 10, it would be wise to select either one of the forwards to at least come close to completing their starting lineup of the future featuring guards Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.

Who are some sneaky picks the Pacers could look out for with the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft?

Taylor Hendricks

The Pacers will need to find a starting power forward before the 2023-24 season starts.

If Houston forward Jarace Walker is selected with a higher pick, the obvious remaining choice would be UCF forward Taylor Hendricks.

Both forwards Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson will be under contract for the Pacers next season. Smith will have a player option for the 2024-25 season. Jackson, the former No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, had his third-year option picked up by Indiana in 2022.

Hendricks, a 6-foot-9-inch forward from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., can bring the size and skillset needed to be the ideal power forward of the future for a blossoming Pacers roster.

Hendricks finished last season with averages of 15.1 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for a UCF roster that went 19-15 overall and 8-10 against conference opponents. He hit 39.4% of the 4.6 3-point attempts he shot during his lone season with the Knights, adding another potential shooting option to a team that already took 11th place in the league with a 3-point percentage of 36.7%.

Hendricks took pride in his ability to affect the game on every level when he sat down with the Pacers for a one-on-one interview earlier this week.

“Somebody that does everything,” Hendricks said when asked what an NBA franchise would be getting if they drafted him, via the Pacers. “Anything you need him to do. He can fit in any type of lineup. Just the way he’s able to play. He’s able to set screens, be a lob threat, shoot the 3-ball, defend really well. Really can’t go wrong when you put him on the court.”

Whether it selects Hendricks or Walker, Indiana will be in good hands.

“The Pacers really can’t miss whether they select me or Jarace,” Hendricks said on Wednesday, via the Indy Star. “Jarace is a really good player so I’m excited to see where he ends up. Going against him was pretty fun because of the hype around us. I think we’re both really good defensive prospects with really good athletic ability. I think we can both space the floor and just offer a lot of things to teams.”

Taking Hendricks at No. 7 would free up the room for the Pacers to potentially take riskier picks later in the first round.

Wake Forest forward Bobi Klintman could be a player to consider if the Pacers want to go for a risky-but-versatile option later in the first round. The 6-foot-10-inch forward averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per outing in the 33 games he played for Wake Forest.

South Carolina forward GG Jackson completed a pre-draft workout for the Pacers. Jackson may not be available for Indiana at either one of their later first-round selections, but he can be a high-potential forward for the Pacers to take a risk on before they try for a high-floor player with their remaining first-rounder.

“Sky is the limit, to be honest,” Jackson said on Tuesday. “There are a lot of players in college, whether they be 20, 21, 22, etc. and they were considered elite players. I feel like I definitely matched their level and I imagine where my game will be when I get their age.”