The Indiana Pacers, as magical as the 2024-25 season may have been for them even though they failed to win the NBA championship, are, more likely than not, about to hit a brick wall for the upcoming campaign. While they have enough talent to compete in the weaker conference, their chances of mounting a deep playoff run the way they did in 2024 and 2025 are as close to zero as it can get amid Tyrese Haliburton's injury and following Myles Turner's departure.
Making matters worse for the Pacers is the fact that TJ McConnell is set to miss at least a month to start the season, depleting the shorthanded squad even further. A team that made the most out of its depth last season is about to face a rude awakening, and no other team in the league will feel sorry for them, other than perhaps the similarly gutted Boston Celtics.
Nonetheless, with the absences of a few crucial guys for the Pacers means an extended opportunity for some of their remaining healthy players to step up. Pascal Siakam is about to have the biggest workload of his career, but he cannot be alone in making up for all the production they lost after the events of the past few months.
With that said, here are two unrealistic bold predictions for the Pacers for the 2025-26 NBA season.
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Say hello to Andrew Nembhard, first-time All-Star
With Haliburton out, the Pacers will need someone to take over floor general duties for the squad. Luckily for them, there's a more than capable replacement (or at least a worthy gap-filler in the meantime) already on the roster in Andrew Nembhard.
Nembhard is entering the fourth season of his NBA career, and he's been getting better with each passing season. His stats don't jump off the page, as he's been more than content to play a supporting role alongside Haliburton and company, but he's been taking small steps in improving his game. Last year, his playmaking and defense improved quite a bit, making him a solid secondary ballhandler who can hound opposing ballhandlers.
Alas, Nembhard's stats don't exactly jump off the page. He averaged 10 points and five assists per game last year, and his scoring efficiency in the regular season was far from the best. He even shot worse than 30 percent from deep last year, and he's already not the highest-volume three-point shooter in the first place.
But the void created by Haliburton's injury may make a monster out of Nembhard yet. Nembhard is the kind of guy who steps up when the moment calls for him to. He's the rare kind of player who shines the most when the lights are at their brightest, and the situation is definitely calling for the fourth-year guard to play his best basketball yet. The Pacers need him to, for their sake.
Seriously, with Haliburton presumably out for the year and McConnell out to begin the season, who else is going to do the bulk of ballhandling for the Pacers? The Pacers' point guard depth chart is seriously dire: listed behind him on ESPN's Indiana depth chart are Quenton Jackson and Kam Jones, both of whom don't exactly have a long track record of contributing on an NBA level.
Bennedict Mathurin will be tasked to shoulder a heavy scoring load, but he's not exactly someone who can be relied upon to create scoring opportunities for others as well.
Whatever the case may be, circumstances are definitely shaping up for Nembhard to be one of the biggest breakout players in the NBA this season.
Across 40 playoff games, Nembhard has averaged 13.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 51/47/80 shooting splits while splitting ballhandling duties with Haliburton, McConnell and Siakam. While that shooting efficiency may not be sustainable for an entire season, Nembhard is more than capable of improving upon those counting stats.
It's not too preposterous to think that he could average around 19 points, five rebounds, and eight assists per game, which should be good enough to earn him an All-Star nod especially considering the other injuries in the Eastern Conference. Currently, both Tyler Herro and Darius Garland, All-Stars in 2025, are out with ankle and toe injuries, respectively.
Now, what makes this unrealistic is that the likes of LaMelo Ball, Desmond Bane, Brandon Ingram, Josh Giddey, and Coby White should garner consideration for an All-Star roster spot as well. Ball, in particular, could be a favorite to do so, provided he stays healthy. Nembhard could end up being the odd man out in this scenario.
But if Nembhard averages the aforementioned numbers above while keeping the Pacers afloat, the narrative should be on his side — convincing fans, media members, and coaches alike to reward the Canadian international.
Jay Huff has a better 2025-26 campaign than Pacers traitor Myles Turner
Pacers fans will never forget how impactful Turner was, not just on the court, but within the community as well, for the entirety of his stay with the team. Alas, Turner is now viewed as a traitor by a great portion of the Pacers fanbase for the way he decided to spurn the team in free agency in favor of their rival Milwaukee Bucks.
Turner's departure, after an NBA Finals trip no less, put the Pacers in such a bind. Their center options are far from proven, with Isaiah Jackson coming off an Achilles tear and Jay Huff yet to establish himself as a consistent rotation player.
But the Pacers have established a winning identity under head coach Rick Carlisle, and part of that is having a player like Turner man the middle. If anyone, Huff is the guy to do so for the Pacers, seeing as he's shown flashes of being an elite shot-blocker and a sniper from deep all the same.
Per 36 minutes, Huff averaged nearly four threes and three blocks per contest last year with the Memphis Grizzlies. Now, it's impossible for him to maintain that kind of pace in a bigger role. But Huff is only 27 years of age, and there might be a higher level for him to unlock in his game.
Is it unlikely that he outplays Turner next year? Yes, it is close to impossible for him to do so. But this is an unrealistic bold predictions piece, and Huff ends up being the biggest diamond unearthed this offseason with averages of 13 points per game, eight rebounds, 2.5 blocks and nearly two threes per game as he makes the starting center role his and his alone.
