ESPN identifies perimeter defense as Indiana Pacers biggest roster hole

The Pacers finished 24th in defense last season

Dec 7, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) holds the ball as Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) closes him down on defense during the third quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

In a recent ESPN piece, writer Tim Bontemps opined that the Indiana Pacers biggest roster hole is their lack of perimeter defense.

The analysis story, which attempts to mark the weakest point of many Eastern Conference rosters, says that the Pacers need to up their defensive level. Indiana finished 24th in defensive rating last season, then 13th in the postseason.

They struggled to slow down their opponents all year long, winning primarily thanks to their offense. That style worked well, but it's undeniably correct that the Pacers are a poor team when it comes to perimeter defense, and their transition-heavy style would still work with more effective play on the less glamorous end of the court.

Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard have grown into strong defenders away from the basket. Those two took on the toughest assignments throughout the playoffs, including Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, and more.

But they can only do so much, and they are both six-foot-six or shorter. There are some matchups where they get overwhelmed by height — though they both try to make up for it with strength and technique.

Elsewhere, the Pacers perimeter defense is much worse. T.J. McConnell can be pesky and bothers his matchup constantly, but his smaller stature is limiting. Bennedict Mathurin's team defense needs work, and Tyrese Haliburton is a poor on-ball defender. Ben Sheppard has a strong base of defense already but is inexperienced.

That doesn't even account for the occasional perimeter defense reps required for frontcourt players, including Obi Toppin and Pascal Siaikam. Even big men have to guard away from the cup more often in the modern NBA with the increased frequency of switching on defense.

The Pacers know that defense is among their most important improvements going forward. "We see areas where we've got to improve. Both the roster, skill level, defensively, things like that," general manager Chad Buchanan said at his end-of-season exit interview in late May. "There's plenty of areas for us to improve. I think that will be a focus for us this summer and building a team moving forward."

Multiple members of Indiana's roster mentioned the teams need to improve on defense before the 2023-24 campaign. That never came to fruition, though it didn't hold the squad back from a successful campaign. Still, as Bontemps notes, development on the less glamorous end of the court would give the team a higher ceiling. They did many one-on-one drills in 2023 training camp to address that deficiency, though it didn't lead to much noticeable growth.

"We gotta guard people. We can get into a lot of things with schemes, but being able to guard your position, guard your man, is an enormously important thing," head coach Rick Carlisle said before last season. That feeling will remain in the coming campaign, and Indiana may need to address it via a roster shakeup in the future.

Bontemps' well-written and researched piece, which features notes on other Eastern Conference contenders, can be found here. The Pacers will get going in advance of the 2024-25 campaign in the coming weeks.

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