Pacers VP of player personnel Ryan Carr said the team has its eyes on several prospects with the No. 6 pick, but the executive seemed particularly high on Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, who is ranked No. 4 on ESPN’s big board.
“His speed, I think, is what sets him apart,” Carr said, per James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “There’s just not many players with that kind of speed, the ability to put the pressure on the rim and score. And then he’s really improved over the past couple years his shooting and has shown the ability to hit 3s. … Somebody that fast, if he can hit a jumper and go by you, I don’t know how you guard him.”
Ivey seems unlikely to be available at No. 6 because most of the latest mock drafts have him going No. 4 to Sacramento, so the Pacers would likely have to trade up to draft the Indiana native.
Carr also said drafting so high in the lottery for the first time in more than 30 years will have a major impact on the team’s rebuild, as Boyd relays.
“It’s been a long time, and obviously you want every player you pick, no matter what number, to succeed,” Carr said. “But the sixth pick, this guy, we want him to be a foundational piece for us, and (we’re) looking forward to adding that piece.”
The Pacers control the Nos. 31 and 60 picks in the 2022 NBA draft in addition to No. 6, as shown by updated full draft order.
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