3 media day storylines to watch for the 2024 Indiana Pacers

The Pacers 2024-25 campaign begins tomorrow

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam speaks with reporters after signing a four-year contract with the Pacers. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Pacers On SI) / Tony East - Pacers On SI

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers will hold media day tomorrow, which marks the unofficial start of the 2024-25 calendar. It's a major season for the Pacers as they will have expectations of playoff success for the first time in a half-decade, yet they are still looking for a few answers about their future.

Much of the roster returns from last season, yet the amount of youth on the squad makes several outcomes plausible for the coming campaign. Indiana hopes to build off of their Eastern Conference Finals run from 2024, which is a high bar to reach yet a goal the Pacers understand.

During media day, several of the team's top talents will address the biggest storylines about the squad, including continuity, growth, and much more. The top three things that fans should be watching for tomorrow are all about the team's future.

How much will continuity matter?

At least 12, and possibly 13, of the players from the 2023-24 Pacers will be back on the roster in the coming season. It's a nearly identical group. The entire rotation from last year's team, sans Jalen Smith (who wasn't in the postseason mix), is returning in an attempt to repeat last year's success.

The question is how much that continuity will help the team. Typically, a roster needs a few games or weeks to build chemistry at the start of a campaign. For Indiana, that should be less of a concern given their past together.

But will that advantage last all season? If it doesn't, what other ways could Indiana be a better group than last year to keep up with other teams? That's the question they'll have to answer with their play.

Most of the team's rotation is pre-prime, so there is some belief that internal development can make the team better. Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Isaiah Jackson, Obi Toppin, Ben Sheppard, and Bennedict Mathurin all project to be in Indiana's rotation and have four or less years of service in the NBA. They could foreseeably improve.

How much continuity will help the Pacers may depend on how much those young players improve, as well as how many of them take a step forward. It's a safe gamble from Indiana since they have a high floor, but it will be a major storyline for 2024-25. On Monday, players will get to share their opinions on how a very similar roster can be better.

Youth coming in to replace departures

The two players that did depart the Pacers this offseason, Smith and the still-unsigned Doug McDermott, have been replaced by younger talent. On the wing, Johnny Furpy was added via the draft in McDermott's position. At reserve center, Smith's spot has been filled by James Wiseman.

In both positions, Indiana got younger. Furphy is still 19, over a decade younger than McDermott. Wiseman is over a year younger than Smith. While neither of those players projects to be in the rotation for the blue and gold to open the campaign, how impactful the newcomers can be, and what potential they show, will be a major plot this year.

The Pacers are trying to win games. Sure, they are also hoping to develop their younger talent — as is every organization in the league. But winning is above all else now. After the team's success last season, they should be less patient when it comes to inexperienced players working through mistakes.

Some tolerance has to be given, of course, but how much will be telling. In the limited chances Wiseman and Furphy do get, what they display on the hardwood will be watched closely. Given the team's uncertain future at the center position and the never-ending quest to find shooting wings, learning more about those two is a goal of the season. Head coach Rick Carlisle's thoughts on his two new players (and potentially a third in Cole Swider, though he is a bit older at 25) will be noteworthy tomorrow.

Will improvement come on defense?

The Pacers were in the bottom 10 teams in terms of defensive rating last season. They picked things up somewhat for a short stretch after Christmas, and they were closer to average after the All-Star break. But more often than not, the blue and gold struggled on the less glamorous end of the floor last year.

This season, Indiana's ceiling will be much higher if they can get more stops. "It was keeping guys out of the paint. I think that was our biggest weakness," general manager Chad Buchanan said of his team last week. "We [allowed] a lot of pressure on the rim. And some of that is, you gotta be able to, as they say, guard your yard. You gotta be able to keep guys in front of you."

Indiana knows they have to get more stops to become an elite team. With a nearly identical roster, many will wonder how the team will be better on the defensive end. Can they change their scheme to be more efficient on defense? Will a tweaked emphasis on rebounding help? Could someone improve significantly on that end?

It will be a key focus during media day, and it's perhaps the most pressing on-court question for the Pacers this season.

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• Pascal Siakam hosting and motivating Indiana Pacers teammates for minicamp in Orlando. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers assistant GM Kelly Krauskopf leaving the team for a role with Indiana Fever. CLICK HERE.
• Pacers GM Chad Buchanan on Myles Turner's future: 'We want him to be here'. CLICK HERE.
• The top five seasons by an Indiana Pacers player in franchise history. CLICK HERE.
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