The Indiana Pacers are one of many teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference which are hungry for some trophies. The Pacers were a dominant force in the ABA prior to the ABA-NBA merger in 1976 and it was a challenge for them early on. In almost five decades in the league, Indiana hasn't won any championships but they've slowly been building momentum and have become a post-season staple over the past few years. What has somewhat worked for the organization are key draft picks that have helped them build formidable teams through the years. Let's take a look at the best draft picks in Indiana Pacers history.
5. Danny Granger (2005)
The mid-2000's saw the Pacers in yet another rebuilding phase as they were recovering from the retirement of Indiana legend Reggie Miller. When Miller retired earlier that year, Indiana went with New Mexico standout Danny Granger in the 2005 draft as their 17th overall pick. Granger would slowly prove that he deserved to be the focal point of former head coach Rick Carlisle's offense. His best season was in 2008-2009 where he averaged 25.8 points per game and also made his only All-Star Game appearance. Granger also received Most Improved Player honors that year.
Unfortunately, the injury bug caught on to Granger and forced him to the sidelines on and off. Still, Granger was a huge locker room guy and helped in developing the likes of Paul George and Lance Stephenson before he was eventually traded away in 2014.
4. Myles Turner (2015)
In 2015, the Pacers landed a player that could possibly be an anchor to their line-up for years to come. They snagged one-and-done center Myles Turner from Texas as their 11th overall pick. It was a rough start for the young center as he missed 21 games in his rookie year after undergoing surgery but he came back strong and proved to be one of the steals of that year's draft. He would finish his rookie season as part of the All-Rookie Second Team and would continue to progress as an impressive starting center for the Pacers. Turner would eventually standout as a defensive menace for Indiana as he slowly found his footing in the Pacers frontcourt defense. He would eventually be the league's block leader in the 2018-2019 season after averaging an impressive 2.7 swats per game.
With the addition of Domantas Sabonis, the two have built a young and impressive frontcourt core which the franchise can use and build around in the years to come.
3. Kawhi Leonard (2011)
Former Pacers GM Larry Bird uncovered a gem on draft night and grabbed San Diego State standout Kawhi Leonard as Indiana's 15th overall pick in 2o11. Unfortunately, Bird immediately dropped the ball and traded Leonard on draft night for up and coming point guard from the San Antonio Spurs named George Hill. To be fair, Leonard was a little underrated and was still very raw at that time and Hill already had a few seasons in the NBA on his resume. Bird believed that Hill would provide a more immediate push for the franchise and would be better fir for the team than a young Leonard. We all know how that trade ended up for the Pacers.
Leonard eventually became a superstar and has since grabbed two NBA championships for the Spurs and the Toronto Raptors, claiming the Finals MVP nod in both of those appearances. Hill, on the other hand, has been struggling to find a team where he feels comfortable with and has been on six different teams in the NBA in his 12-year career so far. What's even worse is the fact that Bird would've had the golden opportunity to build a franchise with two potential superstars in Leonard and the Pacers' previous first-rounder the year before in Paul George.
2. Paul George (2010)
After two solid seasons in Fresno State, George decided to forego his remaining years in his collegiate career and join the NBA Draft where he was picked 10th overall by Indiana. George would quickly grow into one the best two-way players in the league. He would breakout in the 2012-2013 season as a fill-in small forward for the injured Danny Granger where he thrived as the Pacer's main go-to guy. He would be awarded the Most Improved Player that year and also make his first All-Star Game appearance.
It sure looked as though George was on his way to become the Pacers' franchise player for the coming years until a gruesome off-season injury seemed to derail the career of the budding superstar in the summer of 2014. George suffered a compound fracture of both bones in his lower right leg in the summer camp for the US National Team. The forward would virtually miss the entire 2014-2015. George though would suit up for the remaining six games of Indiana that season and would go on to play two more seasons with the team before being shipped out to Oklahoma City in 2017.
1. Reggie Miller (1987)
Arguably the best draft pick the Pacers ever made was in 1987 when they picked UCLA sharpshooter Reggie Miller as their 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft. The Indiana organization and community didn't know what they were getting in the rather thin guard but given how his career turned out, it was definitely a pleasant surprise for everyone.
Miller would go on to play all of his 18 years with the Pacers making it to five All-Star Games and three All-NBA Third Team selections. The 6'7″ swingman would later on become one of the best shooters in the league and ended his career with the second-most three-point field goals with 2,560. The Hall of Famer was also the key figure in the Pacers' only conference title in 2000 and was responsible for bringing the team as far as two games away to winning it all against the Los Angeles Lakers as the Pacers lost 4-2 in the 2000 NBA Finals. For that and everything else Miller did for the franchise, his jersey #31 was retired by the team.
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