Indiana Pacers Top-5 Daydream 2026 NBA Draft Picks

Which draft day outcomes would be best for the Pacers?

The Pacers' current draft odds can shake out a few ways, but the simple math is this – Indiana is gambling their 2026 draft pick up on essentially a flip of a coin to bring in big man Ivica Zubac.

The Pacers protected their 2026 1st where they hold onto the pick if it wins the lottery (1-4) or if the pick somehow falls to 10th or lower.

In the chart above, Indiana currently has the 3rd-best odds; in Indiana were to slip to the 6th-best odds before the lottery, they'd have a 0.2% chance of falling to 10th to keep their pick that way; slip to 7th, they'd have just over a 1.3% chance, slip to 8th, just over a 7.5% chance.

If Indiana holds the exact odds they have today, there is a 52.2% chance they win a Top-4 pick and a 47.8% chance that they forfeit the 5th-7th picks to the Clippers.

The Indiana Pacers walked up to the lottery table and started playing roulette.

Basketball analysts will argue whether the value of those 5th-7th picks in this extremely talented draft class is worth the trade off of bringing in Zubac; Indiana could argue they would then keep their 2027 1st, where its hard to say if the talent will be marginally worse than the talent near the top, but not quite the tippy top, of the 2026 class.

Because Indiana protected the Top-4 slots, the potential superstars in this class like Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson will not escape their grasp, and the high-flying wings AJ Dybantsa and Caleb Wilson will likely round out the Top-4 targets to run on the wings in Indiana's fast-paced playstyle.

Which rookies would look best rocking the blue and gold pinstripes?

5. F Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Impossible strikes; what happens if Indiana somehow slips to the 10th Pick?

Yaxel Lendeborg offers Indiana a win-now forward who could do a little bit of everything from Day 1.

Lendeborg would likely make an immediate impact as a strong all-around player, an elite defender, a play-finisher who can score, pass, shoot enough to threaten the defense from deep and keep the ball moving for good looks.

Indiana could use the defensive intensity in the frontcourt from a ready-made rookie like Lendeborg bringing youthful explosive athleticism to the run-n-gun Pacers.

4. F Caleb Wilson, UNC

Caleb Wilson offers an athletic profile few other prospects can match in this class.

Wilson utilizes his athleticism as an elite defender, downhill force, scorer and rebounder.

A strong big wing play-finisher who plays hard on both ends would fit right into how the Pacers want to play now while providing an upside chance at another star developing for this team down the line.

3. F AJ Dybantsa, BYU

The polarizing wing building up Utah basketball from Utah Prep to BYU remains one of the most exciting prospects to watch in the class.

AJ Dybantsa can explode with the best of them, take and make tough shots, create his own look from just about anywhere on the court, and uses athleticism and instincts to force turnovers defensively, showing solid playmaking reads as an effective passer.

Dybantsa's decision-making is what puts him one tier below the top two in this class, as he tends to force up impossibly tough shots that he has the skill to make, but are shots that should be last resorts, not first options.

Dybantsa improving his decision making with the ball, his movement off the ball, his effort defensively, and his willingness to do what's best for the team as the draft grows closer would help him close the gap on the Top-2.

Finding a way to utilize his downhill force tough shot making gravity to consistently bend the defense and create looks for others would help take Dybantsa's offensive game to the next level from individual two-way star scorer to potential offensive engine.

The Pacers would obviously be happy to add this dynamic big wing scorer and plus defender to their fast breaks and bailout shots to beat the buzzer.

2. G Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Darryn Peterson brings an electricity to the court that few other guards have ever shown.

The 6'6" guard's game is so all-around impressive, it's hard to find any flaws.

Peterson is a 1% athlete, defender, scorer, shooter, ball-handler and passer with effective flare reading and reading as a decision maker creating looks for himself and others.

Any team would be thrilled to add a talent as all-around explosive as Peterson, who's been touted as the best guard prospect since Kobe.

Peterson providing the Pacers another scoring option, plus defender, and league-ready floor-spacing bucket-getting high-flyer who could one day become the scoring option superstar would be too good to pass up.

1. F/C Cameron Boozer, Duke

Cameron Boozer, son of NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, is one of the top prospects in this draft class for many reasons, like currently recording the 2nd-highest overall BPM rating in recorded NCAA history.

Boozer plays with a downhill bullyball playstyle showing off his point-forward vision, his tough shotmaking, his defensive and rebounding instincts, his transition-outlet passing, and his overall winning impact.

His ability to draw fouls, drive-and-kick, and hit shots out of the post combine to form an offensive engine two-way team-first force that combines some stylings of a Paolo Banchero mixed with Kevin Love.

Boozer immediately steps in as a high-impact player to any team he joins in the NBA, and despite the apparent challenge for early playing time in a loaded frontcourt his first season with Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac, it won't take long before it becomes hard to keep Boozer off the floor.

His connective passing, capable outside shooting, lookahead fast-break playmaking, tough shot making from every level and overall offensive engine team-first mindset would fit right in with Indiana's playstyle.

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