The Most Glaring Hole on the Indiana Pacers Roster

2026-27 roster
Tyrese Haliburton
T.J. McConnell
Kam Jones

2024-25 roster
Tyrese Haliburton
T.J. McConnell

The Pacers’ point guard situation is almost identical to the Finals team, with the addition of Kam Jones. I did not include Andrew Nembhard in this group because I have him slotted with the shooting guards, even though he handles point guard responsibilities throughout games.

This is a pretty strong group for Indiana because of the versatility of Haliburton, McConnell, and Nembhard. However, with Haliburton’s injury history, finding a third-string point guard the Pacers can trust throughout the regular season — and potentially the playoffs — would be helpful.

At this point, there is no certainty surrounding Kam Jones. This summer will be huge for him to prove he has improved. Indiana traded up into the early second round in hopes of finding another late-round gem, but his rookie season during a losing year was mostly underwhelming. While the Pacers could use another backup point guard, it is not the team’s biggest glaring hole.

Shooting Guards

2026-27 roster
Andrew Nembhard
Ben Sheppard
Quenton Jackson

2024-25 roster
Andrew Nembhard
Bennedict Mathurin
Ben Sheppard

Pacers fans know what they are going to get from Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard. And because these players are still in the early stages of their careers, they could improve even more over the next few seasons.

Sheppard is as solid as they come. He never really wows you, but he fills his role and remains consistent. Indiana could upgrade this spot by adding a more versatile player, but it is not a necessity.

Nembhard is a tremendous secondary ball-handler and the team’s best perimeter defender. His basketball IQ is off the charts and a major reason why this team functions at such a high level. Hopefully, the 2025-26 season helped him develop even more as a primary ball-handler, making him an even bigger weapon for the Pacers.

Now, Bennedict Mathurin’s playoff experience was filled with ups and downs, but the positives outweighed the negatives. He scored in double figures 10 times in 22 playoff games, even though one of those games ended early after he was ejected following a scuffle with De'Andre Hunter. He also scored 20 or more points in five games.

As currently constructed, the Pacers will miss Mathurin’s scoring ability. He can drive, shoot, and draw fouls. His skill set was a perfect complement to McConnell and Obi Toppin off the bench, and Indiana has yet to replace that part of the roster. To me, this is unquestionably one of the biggest areas the Pacers need to address this offseason.

Lastly, Quenton Jackson is a combo guard who may or may not be on the roster by the start of the season. His contract is partially guaranteed, and only $275,000 of it is protected. He is a serviceable guard who can fill in during the regular season if injuries occur. For a championship-contending team, Jackson is a good locker-room fit and someone who already knows the system after spending the last few seasons with the franchise. He is perfectly fine to keep on the roster, but if Indiana needs to waive him to make a larger move, it has to do it.

Small Forwards

2026-27 roster
Aaron Nesmith
Jarace Walker
Johnny Furphy

2024-25 roster
Aaron Nesmith
Jarace Walker
Johnny Furphy

This is the only position group that is exactly the same as last season’s Finals roster. Aaron Nesmith will remain the team’s starting 3-and-D small forward, while Jarace Walker is expected to begin the season as his backup unless Indiana makes a trade or signs another wing this offseason. Johnny Furphy will likely spend the first half of the season recovering from his ACL injury, which makes it difficult to envision a major role for him next season.

Walker did receive playoff minutes last season, but he only played more than 10 minutes in four games and scored in double figures just once. This season could be a huge opportunity for him to build on what he showed in the second half of the 2025-26 season and prove he can be a versatile player capable of impacting games in multiple ways.

Nesmith has dealt with injuries throughout his career, but he has mostly been durable. His fit with this core is perfect and clearly defined. Everyone knows what they are getting from him, and he is never afraid of the moment.

This is a position group I think the Pacers are solid at, but it is probably the most average group among the five positions. Indiana could use another versatile defender here unless Jarace Walker takes a major step defensively. Last season, he struggled as an on-ball defender and was consistently matched up against opposing teams’ weakest wing players.

Power Forwards

2026-27 roster
Pascal Siakam
Obi Toppin

2024-25 roster
Pascal Siakam
Obi Toppin
James Johnson

From an on-court perspective, this duo has been together for two and a half years, and I do not see Indiana making any moves to split them up. Pascal Siakam is the reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP and is coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons with the Pacers.

We saw Siakam’s defense improve dramatically during last year’s playoff run compared to the regular season. He was often Indiana’s best option defending opposing power forwards and centers, and occasionally even larger wings. His importance to this team cannot be overstated.

Obi Toppin is a dynamic athlete who can knock down threes or throw down highlight dunks in transition. We saw him expand his game by playing small-ball center last season, and those lineups were absolutely scorching offensively. Seeing fans include him in trade discussions is honestly head-scratching to me because of how important he is to this team. He is unquestionably the third-most important big man on the roster and remains both a fan favorite and a terrific locker-room fit.

Indiana is in great shape at power forward, and with Walker and Furphy also on the roster, the team has emergency depth if foul trouble becomes an issue.

Centers

2026-27 roster
Ivica Zubac
Jay Huff
Micah Potter

2024-25 roster
Myles Turner
Thomas Bryant
Tony Bradley
Isaiah Jackson

The center room received a complete makeover. Myles Turner left in free agency, Indiana chose not to re-sign Thomas Bryant after he later joined Cleveland, Tony Bradley was waived before his contract became fully guaranteed, and Isaiah Jackson was traded to the Clippers in the Ivica Zubac deal.

The Pacers replaced some of Turner’s floor spacing and rim protection with Jay Huff, although obviously on a much smaller scale.

Micah Potter essentially fills the Thomas Bryant role because of his three-point shooting and high-energy style of play.

Then Indiana traded for Ivica Zubac, who brings elements of the physicality Tony Bradley provided while also serving as a lob threat similar to Isaiah Jackson. But beyond that, Zubac adds several dimensions this center group lacked last season. He is an excellent passer in the short roll, punishes smaller defenders in the post, sets bone-crushing screens, protects the rim, rebounds at a high level, and possesses a tremendous basketball IQ.

This group is versatile, but it is still missing an athletic big who can defend in space and rim-run. There are younger trade targets the Pacers could pursue, but there are also veteran options who would make sense for this roster.

I think Indiana should look to upgrade the Huff/Potter combination, but it is not necessarily a pressing need.

Final Thoughts

After evaluating the entire roster, it is clear the Pacers have a few areas where they could improve. But the most glaring hole is unquestionably the void created by trading Bennedict Mathurin.

While Indiana was still able to win playoff games without him last season, and his poor performances did not dictate the overall outcome of the postseason, finding a guard who can provide secondary playmaking and score in multiple ways is something this team needs to address if it wants to field the most complete roster possible.

The options Indiana currently has off the bench at the two and three positions simply are not natural scorers. They are solid players, but the Pacers still need a more dynamic offensive weapon to alleviate pressure from the starting five and from T.J. McConnell leading the second unit.

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