Even though many thought the Indiana Pacers can be a playoff team, they are set to end the season in the bottom part of the Eastern Conference standings. After starting the season with Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, and an interesting rookie in Chris Duarte, they traded two of them and now look to rebuild on the fly. Looking at next season, the Pacers will rely most on the draft, but they can also snag some pieces in free agency. Without further ado, let's look at three early targets for the Pacers in the 2022 NBA free agency.
Early Pacers targets in 2022 free agency
The interesting thing about the Pacers is that their attack, despite missing a key piece in TJ Warren for the entire season, was not too bad. Unless there is a major change, they will end up as the 18th best-rated offense, according to Basketball Reference. On the other hand, their defense was abysmal, only rated 28th, so they need key additions in that area. They do have Myles Turner, but the trade of Sabonis left the Pacers without another stable presence under the basket. That is exactly where Mo Bamba can jump in. Of course, he is a restricted free agent coming out of Orlando, but the Magic might decide against keeping him, which is an opportunity that the Pacers should jump on.
Bamba can help the Pacers in a myriad of ways, but mostly with rebounding and inside defense. While their ranking of 3rd in blocks might suggest otherwise, the Pacers had a ton of issues in that segment. Myles Turner will bump up the numbers, but the fact that the Pacers' opponents shoot the second-best percentage in the league is a worrying sign. Bamba and his long hands will help disrupt a ton of the shots and if he is left with a guard, even if Bamba cannot get to contest the shot completely, he will be able to be there at least somewhat. Additionally, he is young and has a ton of upside, both things important for a team rebuilding, such as the Pacers are.
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In the same vein as Bamba, Jusuf Nurkic could be a worthy addition to this Pacers squad. However, Nurkic would be better for a few reasons. Firstly, with Tyrese Haliburton running the point, he would have a solid pick and roll partner in the Bosnian center. Nurkic has already had a great relationship with a point guard in Lillard. Their two-man game has done wonders for Portland in the past, mostly because they had a good relationship, but also because they can both threaten the opposition in many segments. Additionally, Nurkic is an unrestricted free agent and the Pacers would not have to rely on the Trail Blazers deciding to match the offer if push comes to shove.
In terms of direct impact on the court, the biggest advantage of having Nurkic is that he is a two-way player. Granted, he is not elite in any segment, but he can do so much on the court. Defensively, he can disrupt and block shots and somewhat follow guards around the perimeter. Offensively, he can shoot, finish around the basket, roll to the paint, and even pass. When he originally came to Portland, a huge area of his game was standing on elbows and finding teammates for cuts and open shots. That segment has been somewhat underutilized later on, but if the Pacers get Nurk, they can employ him in a variety of ways to get the best out of the Bosnian Beast.
Since the Pacers are fairly full in the backcourt, it would not make sense to include a guard here. Thus, we have Kyle Anderson, a huge part of the Grizzlies' run this season, but also an unrestricted free agent this summer. Due to the well-documented defensive issues of the Pacers, Anderson would be the perfect addition on the wings to seal up the defense and give their potent offense a chance to win games. His stats might not be as impressive as some other wings on the free-agent list, but Anderson is a player that can definitely impact the game in a myriad of ways. His offense can be poor at times, but Anderson truly makes it up on the defensive end.
This season for the Grizzlies, Anderson averages 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals. As said above, that is not so impressive, but the lineups that feature him have been the best Grizzlies lineups defensively, which is what the Pacers need. He has active hands and recorded ten games with three or more steals this season, including securing six steals in their game versus the Celtics in early March. The Pacers need that active defensive factor, but there is one more reason why Anderson might be perfect. In his career, Anderson just averages 5.5 field goal attempts per game, so the other pieces of the Pacers can take over offensively, while Slo Mo, as he is known, will be happy to take over defensive duties.
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