Mar 29, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) in the second half against the Miami Heat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pacers Face Obvious Decision as Season Winds Down

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Amir Motameni | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 2:27 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers should not be trying to win basketball games anymore this season.

They’re 17-58 and tied with the Washington Wizards for the second-worst record in the league. The Pacers have to land a top-four pick because if they don't, their pick goes straight to the Los Angeles Clippers.

So yeah… this isn’t complicated.

They don’t need to try to find a silver lining. The goal right now should be clear: protect your future and don’t mess this up.

I’m not a fan of teams shutting players down, but sometimes it’s just the smart move. For the Pacers, this is one of those situations. It makes sense to sit Pascal Siakam. He’s already dealt with injuries this season, and with only seven games left, there’s no reason to take on unnecessary risk. The last thing Indiana needs is a setback that carries into next year.

The same goes for guys like Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. These are real rotation players and key pieces who will need to contribute next season when the Pacers are once again contenders in the East. Playing them right now does nothing except introduce risk.

The second Tyrese Haliburton went down with achilles injury in the NBA Finals, this season basically flipped. That’s just the reality. Tyrese is the engine and backbone of this Indiana Pacers team, and they went from an NBA Finals team to one of the worst teams in the league, not because the roster is bad, but because your engine wasn’t there. Add in other injuries, inconsistent lineups, and everything snowballed.

This was always going to end up being a gap year. So treat it like one.

This is the part that matters most. A top four pick would not only help the Pacers contend next season, but for the foreseeable future.

That one asset can completely reshape the trajectory of this team. When you zoom out and look at next season, a healthy Haliburton, a rested Pascal Siakam, plus Ivica Zubac in the mix, there’s a very real case that this team jumps right back into the top tier of the East.

The Pacers have actually won two of their last four games after losing a franchise-worst 16 straight, and honestly, even that feels like too much at this point. This isn't the time to get cute, the Pacers should shut guys down, play the young players, and let the season end. Who is going to care if the Pacers won 19 games instead of 17? That’s the kind of mistake that sets a franchise back. Right now, the Pacers are actually in a really good spot, as long as they don’t mess it up.

This article first appeared on Indianapolis Pacers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: