Rick Carlisle on the Indiana Pacers stretch run: 'Guys are learning and they are finding out what it's about'

Younger Pacers players are getting more opportunities of late

The Indiana Pacers fell to 10 games under .500 on Monday night when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks. The Pacers are 3.5 games out of the play-in tournament and have been eliminated from reaching a top-six seed and making the playoffs outright.

In essence, with just six games to do, the Pacers hopes of playing basketball beyond the regular season are gone. Given such a scenario, providing more opportunities for young, less experienced players makes all the sense in the world.

That happened last season as Malcolm Brogdon didn't play in the team's final 11 games. Meanwhile, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson, Duane Washingon Jr, Terry Taylor, Oshae Brissett, and other youngsters saw their minutes increase down the stretch. It was the right decision for the Pacers.

This year, there is still a chance that some veterans will play for the blue and gold a few more times. They aren't officially eliminated yet. But on Monday, Indiana was without Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, and Buddy Hield, so they were forced to lean on young players in a situation that could become a trend.

"We've got seven more games to look at some things. And we'll do that," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said before the game when asked about his team's new-look rotation. Rookie guard Bennedict Mathruin moved into the starting five last week.

Indiana's starting lineup against Dallas featured five players who are all 24 or younger. Jordan Nwora, who was drafted in 2020 and was acquired by the Pacers in February, was the oldest member of the opening five. The longest tenured Pacer who started was Smith, who has been with the franchise for just over 13 months.

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Off the bench, the Pacers played their other available youngsters in Jackson and Brissett while two veterans, who were needed to fill out the rotation, soaked up the final spots. It was a very young group for the blue and gold, who were smashed by the Mavericks.

The Pacers were without their three top scorers, so points were hard to come by. But opportunity, and reps, were easy to get. Mathurin received his third-most minutes in a single game during his career while Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and Nwora all played for more than 30 minutes. Many players got chances to grow in an expanded role.

"Guys are learning and they are finding out what it's about," Carlisle said after the game. He noted the importance of molding inexperienced guys to be a winning player on both ends of the court.

"You're sitting at the grown ups table when you get put in these positions," he added. Younger Pacers were elevated to a situation where they were playing big minutes while also trying to help slow down Mavericks superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Moments like that will be crucial for the blue and gold down the stretch. Developing youngsters will get to go against some strong competition in the teams final games, and they will get more responsibilities in those moments. Plenty of in-game reps could be coming.

Those reps will be unique, too. Nwora, Nembhard, Brissett, and Nesmith will get more chances to make plays with the ball. Jackson and Smith will have more opportunities in the frontcourt. Nembhard will get to keep things organized. Every player will be facing new challenges if they get an expanded role.

Mathurin hasn't been starting much this season, but he has in the last week or so. He will not only get more difficult reps with added authority, but he will learn about the mental aspect of opening games.

"This is a great opportunity for him," Carlisle said of Mathurin. "Coming off the bench the whole season, it's tough to adjust jumping straight into the game. You usually come off the bench, you know when your flow is going to happen," Smith added.

Smith concluded that he thinks Mathurin is handling the change well, and learning what it takes to start will behoove the rookie long term.

As the season winds down, perhaps the Pacers turn to their veterans again. But with the result of their season nearly decided, there will be tons of opportunities for younger players to learn down the stretch.

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