The 2024-25 NBA season is approaching, and the Indiana Pacers will get going later this month. They will hope to build off of their Eastern Conference Finals run from last campaign.
They will also hope to improve as individuals. Last year, no Pacers player won any of the league’s awards, though Tyrese Haliburton was named to the All-NBA Third Team. They received votes for many of the NBA’s honors but weren’t able to bring home the hardware.
To this day, the last member of the blue and gold to earn an individual award was guard Victor Oladipo in 2018 — back then, he won the league’s Most Improved Player title. Could this be the year that an Indiana player is an award winner again? Here are some possibilities.
MVP
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Haliburton has the best shot at this of any Pacer, and oddsmakers agree. The star point guard averaged 24.2 points and 12.7 assists per game last year before suffering a hamstring injury that changed his season. If he can get back to that level for an extended stretch, he could be in the MVP mix. Indiana would have to win a ton of games, too.
If the Pacers are the best team in the league and Pascal Siakam improves on his 22 points and seven rebounds per game averages, perhaps his name could come up in these discussions. But that seems close to impossible.
Rookie of the Year
While 35th overall pick Johnny Furphy showed promise during NBA summer league, the rookie forward likely won’t play much this year unless the blue and gold deal with several injuries. There is almost no path to the Pacers having a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2024-25.
Sixth Man of the Year
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The Pacers had the top-scoring bench in the NBA last season, and backup point guard T.J. McConnell pulled in a few votes for Sixth Man of the Year, finishing seventh overall. He closed the season at a high level.
If McConnell plays with that increased impact for a full season, he could be in the mix for this honor. Indiana’s bench may deal with less change this year as the roster has more obvious roles, so McConnell’s ability to pair well with Obi Toppin, Isaiah Jackson, and Ben Sheppard for another season will go a long way.
That doesn’t even account for Bennedict Mathurin, who fit in with that group and is a terrific scorer off the bench. With some subtle improvements, he could become an important piece for the blue and gold, and his high-scoring style is typically rewarded in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He and McConnell are the two best candidates for this honor on the Pacers roster.
Defensive Player of the Year
If the Pacers stink on defense again, they won’t have any Defensive Player of the Year candidates. It’s that simple. If they are able to approach league average on the less glamorous end of the floor, then their top defenders — Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner, and Aaron Nesmith — could all be considered.
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Turner has the best shot both thanks to his ability and reputation. He was in All-Defense conversations in the past and is a strong rim protector. His own growth on that end of the floor could help Indiana climb back towards league average on defense.
Most Improved Player
Indiana has many less experienced players — Haliburton, Nesmith, Nembhard, Mathurin, Jackson, Sheppard, and Jarace Walker — who could in theory improve enough to be considered for this award.
Given how often they will play, their current skill set, and their experience level, Mathurin and Nembhard seem like the most likely options by far. Both could take off statistically and from an impact perspective during their third season, and if the Pacers are good, people will notice.
Coach of the Year
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Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle finished eighth in this award last season. It is a regular season award, after all. His team continued to thrive in the playoffs, and if Indiana’s conference finals run could have been considered by voters, Carlisle may have finished higher.
Unfortunately for the veteran head coach, that success actually might work against him in the coming season. Coach of the Year is often given to a coach who leads his team far beyond expectations, and the Pacers will have much higher expectations in the coming campaign. They could still exceed them, but it will be more difficult.
On purely merit, though, Carlisle should be in the mix for this award. His role in setting the Pacers unique style has been undersold, and if he gets the young team to win a bunch of games again, he should be considered.
Clutch Player of the Year
Haliburton has some clutch shots in his history and will likely be the go-to guy down the stretch in big games. He is the most likely Pacers player to be in the mix for this award, but predicting the winner feels impossible.
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For more discussion on these possibilities, check out the Locked On Pacers podcast.
New Orleans Pelicans (4-13, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (7-10, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Indianapolis; Monday, 7 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pacers -5.5; over/under is 228
BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans heads into the matchup against Indiana as losers of four straight games.
The Pacers are 5-2 in home games. Indiana ranks fifth in the league with 17.0 fast break points per game led by Bennedict Mathurin averaging 4.5.
The Pelicans have gone 1-7 away from home. New Orleans averages 14.2 turnovers per game and is 3-4 when turning the ball over less than opponents.
The Pacers are shooting 48.7% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 48.5% the Pelicans allow to opponents. The Pacers average 103.8 points per game, 14.3 fewer points than the 118.1 the Pacers allow to opponents.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Pascal Siakam is averaging 20.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Pacers.
Brandon Ingram is scoring 22.9 points per game and averaging 5.8 rebounds for the Pelicans.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 4-6, averaging 111.7 points, 38.9 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.5 points per game.
Pelicans: 1-9, averaging 100.2 points, 42.7 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.7 points.
INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Andrew Nembhard: out (knee), Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), James Wiseman: out for season (calf), Ben Sheppard: out (oblique).
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Pelicans: Zion Williamson: out (hamstring), Yves Missi: day to day (shoulder), CJ McCollum: day to day (thigh), Herbert Jones: out (shoulder ), Dejounte Murray: day to day (hand), Jose Alvarado: out (hamstring).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Washington Wizards are still in the loss column after falling to the Indiana Pacers 115-103 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday evening.
The Wizards remained competitive throughout the game, especially after the first half when they led by two points going into halftime.
However, the Pacers pulled ahead in the second half and were able to cruise to a double-digit victory.
The Pacers had seven players scoring in double figures, including a team-high 22 points from Pascal Siakam. Myles Turner had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
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The Wizards were sorely missing their leading scorer in Jordan Poole, who was ruled out prior to the game with a hip injury. That put Kyshawn George into the starting lineup, where he scored 15 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.
All five starters scored in double figures with Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr scoring 17 points apiece for the team-high.
With 11 consecutive losses, the Wizards remain at the bottom of the NBA standings, but there are some positives that the team will walk away with.
The Wizards will look to snap their losing streak back at home on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.
Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
It’s a day that ends in the letter ‘y,’ so Indy Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel is acting strange online. Thankfully, this scenario has nothing to do with him acting creepy towards WNBA star Caitlin Clark, but instead, centers around the Ohio State Buckeyes blowing out the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.
For anyone who may have forgotten, Doyel stole the show during Clark’s introductory press conference with the Indiana Fever by making the scene all about himself in one of the strangest moves ever seen in a media setting.
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Doyel introduced himself to Clark by saying “Real quick, let me do this,” before reportedly forming a heart with his hands, a gesture Clark does towards her family after games.
Clark replied by very awkwardly asking “You like that?” before things got even weirder.
“I like that you’re here. I like that you’re here,” Doyel responded. “Yeah, I do that at my family after every game, so it’s very cool,” Clark replied.
“Okay, start doing it to me, and we’ll get along just fine,” Doyel replied back.
Long story short, Doyel later apologized for his creepy actions but was ultimately suspended by the Indy Star for two weeks.
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Naturally, each time he shares his opinion on social media nowadays, he gets chirped into oblivion and Saturday was no exception.
Doyel took serious offense to Ohio State scoring a touchdown with 35 seconds left in regulation to ultimately cap off its win over Indiana 38-15. He specifically didn’t appreciate Ohio State quarterback Will Howard celebrating the nail-in-the-coffin touchdown by putting out a fake cigarette to mock Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti.
Doyel taking offense to a 23-year-old college quarterback celebrating a monumental win over an undefeated Indiana team is odd behavior, and folks in his mentions were sure to point out that fact.
Ohio State virtually guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff with the win over Indiana, and the Hoosiers should be safe as well, barring a colossal loss to Purdue to close out the regular season.
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