Where can the Indiana Pacers go once the NBA Draft Lottery decides its draft spot in May?
Indiana finished its 2022-23 season with a record of 35-47, good enough for 11th in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the Central Division behind the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks. Indiana finished with its highest win total since the 2019-20 season, when a Pacers squad featuring Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo finished with 45 wins before being swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs.
Every one of the players at the top of ESPN's depth chart, along with a bright young guard in Bennedict Mathurin, will be under contract for Indiana in the 2023-24 season, according to Spotrac. Center Myles Turner agreed to a 2-year, $60 million contract extension with the Pacers in late January that included an additional $17.1 million renegotiation on his 2022-23 salary.
The Pacers hold the 7th-best odds in the NBA Draft, taking a 6.8% lottery probability behind the Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets. The Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are tied with a 14% chance of winning the lottery.
Who are some options the Pacers should watch out for should they remain at the No. 7 spot?
Cam Whitmore
Whitmore announced his decision to declare for the draft earlier this month in an interview with The Athletic Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania.
“First, I just talked with my parents just to see if it's the right fit at the right time,” Whitmore said. “They always encouraged me since I was a little kid. Going to the NBA was my dream, and I'm happy I'm making that dream come true.”
A former 5-star recruit out of Archbishop Spalding High School out of Severn, Maryland, Whitmore initially chose the Wildcats over offers from Maryland, Illinois, Miami, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Louisville, LSU and UCLA, among others, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot-7-inch forward averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game for a Villanova team that went 17-17 overall and 10-10 against conference opponents.
The Big East All-Freshman selection and Big East Rookie of the Year despite missing the first seven games of the season with a thumb surgery. He dropped 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first round of the Big East Tournament, hitting eight of his 11 attempts and three of his five tries from the 3-point arc.
Once called a “polarizing prospect” by Charania and The Athletic Senior Writer Sam Vecenie in an April article, his potential as a shot creator could prove beneficial for the Pacers, who finished with the 21st-highest offensive rating in the NBA last season.
“He's a terrific driver and above-the-rim finisher,” Charania and Vecenie wrote. “Athletically, he's a powerful 230-pound force; defenders bounce off him on his way to the basket. “
Jarace Walker
A talented forward for the Houston Cougars, Walker finished the 2022-23 season with 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game for a Houston squad that finished 33-4 overall and 17-1 against conference opponents. The former 5-star recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., was a 2022-23 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and an All-American Athletic Conference Freshman Team selection, according to the team's website.
Walker became the Cougars' highest-ranked recruit in recent memory, taking spots over forward Danuel House, forward Terrance Arceneaux and center Joseph Tugler in 247Sports' Houston recruitment rankings. He held offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, UConn, Auburn and Ohio State, among others, but ultimately chose to commit to the Cougars' 2022 class.
“I could've taken the easy route and went to a school where I took all the shots, did whatever I wanted, not get pushed,” he said, via the Athletic. “I just feel like I play harder. You kind of have to, under a coach like Coach (Kelvin) Sampson. He brought it out of me.”
Walker's defensive prowess could be an excellent addition to a Pacers team that finished with the league's 26th-highest defensive rating with 117.1 and allowed the fourth-highest points in the paint with 53.7.
Taylor Hendricks
Taylor Hendricks, a versatile forward out of UCF, averaged 15.1 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for a 19-15 overall and 8-10 against conference opponents.
NBA scouts were impressed with his combination of high-level intensity, defensive versatility and perimeter shooting, according to ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony. Like Walker, his defensive ability would fit well with an up-and-coming roster featuring Haliburton and Mathurin in a Central Division that features two playoff teams, the Bucks and the Cavs.
The NBA Draft Lottery will occur on May 16th at 8:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN, according to NBA.com.
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