Pacers' Rick Carlisle Provided Key Update on Starting Center Competition Ahead of Camp

The Indiana Pacers are ready to turn the page on last season. After making the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years, they now face a tall task heading into the 2025-26 season.

After coming just two quarters away from winning the first NBA title in franchise history, the Pacers will now have to play this entire year without Tyrese Haliburton and a new starting center.

At this point, the Pacers don't really have any centers in their lineup who have had much starting experience. Head coach Rick Carlisle mentioned where the battle for that job stands heading into training camp.

Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle Talks About The Starting Center Spot

While appearing on the Zach Lowe Show, Carlisle let everyone know that the competition is open heading into training camp.

"I'd say it's pretty wide open. Our guys are playing pick-up games now. We're watching a lot."

Carlisle then went on to praise what Isaiah Jackson is able to do on the court now that he is fully healthy.

"I will say that Isaiah Jackson's made a really nice recovery from his Achilles injury. So has James Wiseman. Jay Huff is an NBA shooter, shoots it easy from long range as a center who can both make threes and protect the rim. And we got Tony Bradley, who really emerged in last year's playoffs."

Carlisle isn't going to give any indication of who has the opportunity to start heading into training camp. He wants all four of them to compete as hard as they can for that spot.

The Pacers Have Multiple Options At Center

The Pacers need to figure out what kind of player they want to be in the starting lineup. Jackson is a rim-roller who doesn't have much range on this shot, while Huff is someone who is more comfortable on the perimeter.

Wiseman and Bradley are the two guys who are on the outside looking in. It looks like Bradley has a better shot at making the roster than Wiseman does based on the fact that he's the best rebounder of the bunch.

The Pacers are going to spend the next month figuring out the future of the center spot. Right now, Huff looks like he might be the starter by the end of the season, unless Jackson develops a jump shot.