Pacers Looking to Upgrade Frontcourt After Multiple Season-Ending Injuries

Matt Levine | Nov 3, 2024

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have seen multiple season-ending injuries to start their new season. Both have been to the frontcourt depth with Isiash Jackson and James Wiseman going down.

Due to this unfortunate situation, it has forced Indiana to start looking elsewhere for help. According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Indiana is now trying to find more depth behind center Myles Turner.

"The Pacers are now expected to explore the market for frontcourt depth behind Myles Turner."

Turner has been good for the Pacers to start the season but he can't do it alone. So far this year, he is averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He is also shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line, a slight decrease in percentage from previous seasons.

Indiana losing both Jackson and Wiseman hurts their overall depth and is now forcing them to gauge the trade market early. Many teams across the NBA are looking for frontcourt depth so the Pacers could be forced into a bidding war to land some replacements.

The Pacers entered this season looking to build off the success that they saw last season when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana believes in the cast that they have on the roster but it's been a slow start for them.

The team sits with a record of 2-4 on the season and they haven't looked the same as they did a year ago. This has especially been true on the offensive side of the ball.

Star Tyrese Haliburton has struggled to start the year and it has bled into how the overall team has looked. So far, he is averaging just 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. He is also shooting only 24 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Last season, Haliburton put up 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game. He shot 36.4 percent from beyond the 3-point line so his shot has clearly been struggling this season.

Indiana relies on Haliburton to take charge in games so his issues have caused some problems to start. But if the Pacers can bring in some extra depth across the roster, it may be able to take some pressure off Haliburton until he can figure his shooting issues out.

The Pacers seem primed to be a major player at the trade deadline in February, if not earlier as they look to rekindle last year's success.

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