Indiana Pacers alter starting lineup with matchups and roles in mind
After Jalen Smith signed with the Indiana Pacers this offseason, the team held a press conference to announce the move. In his opening statement, head coach Rick Carlisle shared that Smith's role entering the 2022-23 season was already known.
"He's signed on here to be our starting power forward going forward," Carlisle said. The Pacers were giving a big opportunity to the 22-year old former top-ten pick.
Smith started in his first 26 appearances for the blue and gold. Smith — along with Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, and Buddy Hield — were in the opening five for the Pacers every game that they were healthy. The starting small forward spot was occupied by several different players in the team's first 27 outings, but those four were locks to be on the floor to begin a game if they were healthy.
That changed this past Monday. With Smith healthy and available, the Pacers tweaked their starting five and moved Aaron Nesmith into the four spot. Smith went to the second unit for the first time of the season. Indiana went small, but it also moved Smith from the four spot with the starters to the five spot with the bench. It was a significant change.
"[I] talked earlier in the year... that we were going to have lineup fluidity. Sometimes based on matchups, sometimes based on other issues," Carlisle said after the Pacers game that night. They fell 87-82 to the Miami Heat. "This was a matchup thing. We'll see what it looks like on Wednesday."
The Heat started four shorter players in Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, and Jimmy Butler, so going with more mobility and less size made sense for the Pacers that night. Nesmith finished with 12 points, six rebounds, two steals, and three blocks while Smith had two points, two rebounds, and three steals.
"We all knew the better matchup to start out," Smith said after the game, noting the number of guards Miami plays and that they like to switch on defense. "Coming in at the five just allows me to try to clog the paint, try to switch on everybody... At the end of the day, it's about what's best for the team," he added about coming off the bench. At the five, Smith looked more comfortable defensively.
Two nights later, the Warriors were in Indianapolis. They started Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, and Draymond Green, none of whom are particularly imposing with their size. Carlisle opted to stick with Nesmith in the opening five, and Smith remained with the second unit.
Before the game, Carlisle was asked how Smith's role changes when he is at the five spot instead of the four. "It's quite a bit different. The four men in the NBA now, they're quicker, there's more playmakers at four. They drive it, they shoot it. It's a big set of responsibilities," Carlisle said. "At five, your responsibilities are just different," he added, noting that Smith has to execute several different pick-and-roll coverages when he is the five defensively. "You're also kind of the traffic cop out there... offensively, [at the] four you've got to be on the perimeter a lot more.
"The general answer is they are quite different... all these guys [have] got to be ready for anything," Carlisle added. Being on the perimeter less often may be better for Smith — he is shooting poorly (28.1%) from deep this season, and the Pacers have a 116.3 defensive rating when Smith shares the court with another center. When he's the only five man, that number drops to 114.9.
Perhaps this will be a permanent change for the Pacers as Smith appears to be better suited for the five spot than the four spot. But Carlisle did note that the team will be fluid with their lineups, and they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. That is one of the opposing teams where it might make sense to start Smith instead of Nesmith since the Cavs start two big men themselves in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Chris Duarte's looming return could add an additional shake up to the starting five. Perhaps he could be the four in the opening unit in lieu of Nesmith. It's unclear what the thinking will be there, but that option now exists with Nesmith getting some opportunities with the starters.
Either way, the Pacers appear to be willing to shake up their starting five if the team needs it, and it's already happened twice this week. "Rick, he's been a coach for a long time. He knows what he's doing," Hield said of Carlisle and the altered first group.
Nesmith has been playing well of late, averaging nearly nine points per game and shooting 42% from deep in the month of December. Smith, meanwhile, had four points, six rebounds, four assists, and three blocks off the bench against the Warriors on Wednesday. For those two players, this change could be a win-win.
"I think [Smith], for him, it's a confidence thing," Turner, the Pacers starting center, said. He noted that there's more opportunity with the ball for Smith with the bench. "I think it's a natural fit for him."
Isaiah Jackson has been the big loser of this move, as he has been out of the rotation in the two games since the starting lineup changed. But with lineup fluidity being present for the Pacers, perhaps that could change soon.
Either way, the Pacers are willing to change their starting five for the better of the team, and it has been working recently. If the new-look starters continue to thrive, perhaps it could be a permanent change.
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