Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard dribbles against San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie. Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

What's Keeping Indiana Pacers Going in Tumultuous Season

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 4:00 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers are continuing to build the longest losing streak in franchise history, beating another skid they had back in December and January of 13 games in a row.

It's no surprise that the Pacers remain in last place in power rankings across the internet.

NBA.com, John Schuhmann (30, no change)

"Pascal Siakam returned from a six-game absence on Saturday, but he never played alongside Ivica Zubac (who’s done for the season after five games), and the Pacers are running out of opportunities to avoid finishing the year on a 27-game losing streak. They’re 0-16 since the All-Star break and are currently on a stretch of 122 straight game minutes (a little more than 2 1/2 games) without holding a lead," Schuhmann wrote.

The Athletic, Law Murray (30, no change)

"The longest losing streak in franchise history. And it’s only worth it if the lottery balls shine on the Pacers better than they did the Jazz or Wizards last season. Ivica Zubac put on the uniform for a couple of weeks, but his season is over because of a fractured rib. Indiana should be searching for the best available scorer in this draft to backfill what it lost in Mathurin; Quenton Jackson and Ben Sheppard are getting those minutes now," Murray wrote.

USA Today, Clemente Almanza (30, no change)

"We're seeing some jaw-dropping losing streaks right now. The Pacers have lost 16 in a row. After valiantly playing for most of the season, Pascal Siakam has missed most of the month. Indiana is going all out to ensure it has top lottery odds," Almanza wrote.

"That's resulted in some nasty basketball. Only the true fans could stomach what's going on right now. Hopefully, it'll be worth it in the end as they're almost done with a gap year."

Overview

Nothing can seem to go right for the Pacers. The writing on the wall is very clear at this point. The team is just trying to be as competitive as possible, to close out the season hoping to get some form of positivity going into the offseason.

If there's anything the Pacers can hold onto for the season, it might be the fact that Andrew Nembhard looks like a true building block moving forward. Nembhard is averaging a career-high 17.2 points and 7.2 assists per game for the Pacers this season. A lot of those numbers have been inflated due to Tyrese Haliburton's absence, but the Pacers should feel confident about him building a backcourt with Haliburton for the future of the franchise.

If the Pacers can get a healthy Haliburton back alongside Nembhard in the backcourt with Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac with another rookie forward in the mix, the Pacers could have a really good starting five to work with that could catapult them back towards contention next season.

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

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