Three takeaways as Indiana Pacers lose to Houston Rockets in preseason action

The Pacers are 0-2 in preseason play so far

The Indiana Pacers dropped their second preseason game in a row on Tuesday night as they were bested by the Houston Rockets. The game was close until the middle of the fourth quarter when Houston pulled away en route to a 122-103 final score.

The Pacers were without Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, and Andrew Nembhard for the game. In this outing, they relied more on younger players than they did on Sunday in their preseason opener. Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, two rookies taken in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, both were a part of Indiana's second unit.

"There were stretches with each of the lineups that were okay," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. He noted that the team wanted to rely on its depth in the game.

Without Turner, the team started veteran big man Daniel Theis. That, along with the rookies getting in earlier, was the key change to the rotation. When Indiana emptied the bench in the fourth quarter, they were down by just seven points.

The final stretch killed them on the scoreboard, but there were still some good evaluation moments all night. The key takeaways from the game reflect that.

Indiana's defense must be better

For the second-straight game, the Pacers gave up over 120 points and had many defensive breakdowns. Their revamped pick-and-roll coverage needs work. Breakdowns happened often on the perimeter.

Those issues led to several fouls. Indiana ended the game with 31 of them, more than they had in 80 of their 82 games last season. It led to a whopping 39 free throw attempts for Houston, which made having an efficient offense easy for the Rockets.

"The thing that's killing us the most is the fouling," Carlisle said postgame. Seven different members of the blue and gold finished with three or more fouls, including several frontcourt players.

That made defending difficult and forced changes to the rotation. Fouls, and defense, must be better for the Pacers. It's been a takeaway for both of their opening preseason games.

Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith impressed

Thanks to the aforementioned foul trouble, Jalen Smith got extra playing time in the rotation. He took advantage, holding down the center position in multiple lineups.

The 23-year old made all five of his shots from the field, including a three-pointer. He grabbed six rebounds, tied for a team high, in just over 12 minutes. And he held things down on defense. Indiana was +9 with Smith on the court Tuesday night. He's in a battle to earn minutes on the interior, and he certainly gained some ground against Houston.

"Jalen Smith is playing like a guy who knows who he is... I was impressed with him," Carlisle said postgame. Smith acknowledged to gathered media that he knows what he needs to do to help the team.

Aaron Nesmith also stood out. The forward is entering his fourth season in the NBA, and he showed off some improved ball handling and burst on Tuesday night.

Impressive burst from Aaron Nesmith on this drive. He had another one on the following possession. pic.twitter.com/M82gtvfsqH

— Tony East (@TonyREast) October 11, 2023

Nesmith is a capable defensive player and solid shooter, making him a valuable piece. If he can add ball handling to his skill set, he could fit into many roles and lineups. He did that last night, finishing with 18 points on 7/9 shooting. Those stats came with only one made three. Nesmith was attacking and pressuring the rim well. 

"Aaron knows who he is. He knows how he fits into what we're doing... he did a lot of good things tonight," Carlisle said postgame.

Buddy Hield did everything offensively but make shots

Most of the chatter involving Pacers guard Buddy Hield in the last month or so has been about his contract. His deal expires at the end of this season, and he is eligible for a contract extension.

There has been less discussion about what the 30-year old can do on the floor. His role this season could change — he is currently projected to come off the bench — and a lot of the chatter about that switch involves Hield's shooting and fit with Haliburton.

What hasn't been discussed is the rest of his offensive game. After a successful summer playing for the Bahamas, a stint in which Hield played a lot of point guard, his ball handling skills were on display against Houston.

Hield was poor from the field against the Rockets, nailing two of his 10 shots. But he had four rebounds and nine assists, and in general he did a good job as a floor general. While his shooting and spacing will be important for bench units this year, Hield may have underdiscussed value as a secondary creator, and that thought gained more traction on Tuesday.

Indiana next hits the court for FanJam on Saturday, and their next preseason game is on Monday at home against the Atlanta Hawks.

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• Buddy Hield discusses his contract situation and future with the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers preseason loss to Memphis Grizzlies. CLICK HERE.
• Obi Toppin and Myles Turner are a growing frontcourt partnership for the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• What can the Indiana Pacers do better on defense this year? Well, everything. CLICK HERE.
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