The Indiana Pacers dropped their preseason opener to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. It came down to the wire with Seth Lundy hitting a three to give Atlanta the win in the final seconds. Neither team played their typical rotation players for the last 18 or so minutes of action as they marched through the preseason.

“There were a lot of positives really with all the guys that played,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. “Starters did some good things.”

Said starting five only played in the first half of the battle. The second half for the blue and gold was filled with bench players and deeper reserves as the team did some evaluation. That’s what the preseason exhibitions are all about.

The final score was 131-130. While it is just preseason, there are still a few important takeaways for the Pacers.

Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam took advantage of on-ball reps

Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam were the guiding forces behind Indiana’s offense with the starting five, and they handled the ball often. They both had a usage rate just over 24%, per the NBA’s advanced box score, while the Pacers typical lead ball handler in Tyrese Haliburton had a usage rate of 21.6%.

Nembhard was initiating offense on multiple occasions by getting Indiana into their sets quickly or by attacking the paint. The Hawks could not stop him from getting wherever he wanted to go, and he made them pay with a few mid-range buckets that are becoming his signature shot. He finished with 10 points and three assists.

Siakam, meanwhile, had more chances to push in transition than he did on an average night last year, and he looked effective when doing so. He, too, had more of a ball handling and passing burden than usual and had a successful night, scoring a team-high 15 points.

Haliburton was off the ball slightly more than he was on most nights last season. He was still heavily involved, but if Nembhard and Siakam can make plays and have the team’s offense humming, that bodes well for Indiana’s offense in the coming season.

Indiana’s defense still needs work

The Pacers hope they’ll improve on defense this season. They finished last season 18th in defensive rating after the All-Star break and believe they have a chance to keep up that form. A full training camp with Siakam could help.

Yet their general struggles from last season on the defensive end were still present in this game. Atlanta ball handlers danced into the paint. The Hawks made almost 53% of their shots and generated open threes.

“Had some defensive lapses, we’ve got to clean that up,” Carlisle said.

Trae Young and Jalen Johnson — two good players, to be clear — were effective and got to their spots. Nebhard defended young well, but most other matchups were easy to punish for the Hawks.

Zaccharie Risacher had a great outing for the hosts as well.

The Pacers didn’t have two important defensive pieces available in Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson, but their defense struggled to open the preseason.

Some ups and some downs from the newer players

The Pacers don’t have many new players, but the ones that offered up a first impression on Tuesday showed off some good and some bad moments.

James Wiseman, for example, was effective on offense and didn’t miss a shot. But his defense was subpar and needs work, particularly in pick-and-rolls. Cole Swider, a new wing for Indiana, showed off his ability to get off shots from deep and even displayed some ability putting the ball on the floor. But he forced the issue at times and didn’t have enough of an impact on defense.

Those two may end up being the only new Pacers players this season with NBA experience, and they had up-and-down nights. Kendall Brown, who is battling for a roster spot and is Swider’s main competitor to make the roster, didn’t impress. Quenton Jackson, who signed with Indiana in March, was effective. Those two are on the fringe of the roster but still had noteworthy performances.

Indiana next plays tomorrow night when they take on the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Then, they’ll head home for over a week until the regular season starts.