Part 2 of the offseason guides leads us to the NBA runner-ups and the hopeful NBA champs for next year.
The Indiana Pacers had one hell of a run in this year’s NBA playoffs. Knocking off the Bucks in 5 games, Cavaliers in 5 games, Knicks in 6 games, before losing in game 7 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers had an improbable comeback in each of the series, and Tyrese Haliburton hit seemingly every clutch shot possible in the postseason. So, how do the Pacers reload and push to eventually get their first championship in franchise history? For starters, the unfortunate injury to Tyrese Haliburton was confirmed to be a torn achilles, likely putting him out for next year. They have a majority of their rotation under contract for the upcoming season, as they extended Nembhard, Toppin, and McConnell last offseason. Myles Turner is looking to get an extension this postseason, but the Pacers will likely need to dip into the luxury tax to sign him. Some clever moves, such as trading their first-round pick for a future pick and moving back a couple of spots into the second round, will help them save some money under the cap. The Pacers still have a majority of their picks even after trading their first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans. The 2026 first-round pick will go back to the Pacers after trading it away in the Pascal Siakam deal, and then the Raptors used the same pick in the Brandon Ingram trade at this past deadline. Both financially and asset-wise, Pacers have a lot of flexibility, should they choose to go into the luxury tax for the first time in franchise history.
From a player's perspective, the Pacers will need to rally around the loss of Tyrese Haliburton. His offense drives the entire team and amplifies the play of Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Andrew Nembhard. Aside from the obvious hole at the point guard spot, the Pacers badly need a backup center and front-court depth overall. Thomas Bryant was added via trade due to both James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson tearing their Achilles early in the season. Tony Bradley also found himself playing Finals minutes, and they is unlikely a situation the team wants to find itself in. The return of Jackson and Wiseman will help, but adding a backup big via free agency or the second round of the draft could be nice. Aside from roster additions, the recent draft picks of Benedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Johnny Furphy will need to show improvements in their games. Mathurin, at times, did not play much as Rick Carlisle opted for Ben Sheppard. Sheppard also showed some improvement in the shooting department, but he was the most advanced of the group on the defensive end of the floor. Both Walker and Furphy will have opportunities to help the roster out. Furphy is a little behind on the defense end, and the offense comes and goes at times this season. Walker is the most intriguing of the bunch as he flashed some on-ball skills and defensive versatility. He was injured in the finals with an ankle injury and likely would’ve played over Bradley and Thomas if healthy.
While the Pacers had a very successful season, it did come at a price, and unfortunately, it will be tough to replicate, but if we’ve learned anything this season, it’s not to count out the Pacers.
The Spurs had a promising season at the start. Star forward Victor Wembanyama was taking a bunch of threes in the beginning of the season, before finding his footing and becoming a top 10 player in the NBA has notable stretch playing against the World’s best player Nikola Jokic proved this as he dropped some monster statlines and flashed abilities in all areas of his game. However, this quickly came to an end as Wembanyama was shut down due to deep-vein thrombosis, a blood clot, shortly after the All-Star break. However, a lot of points to the Spurs experiencing a similar jump, the Thunder had two seasons ago, going from 10th to 1st in the Western Conference. Spurs acquired All-Star De’Aaron Fox from the Kings to run the point guard position. Stephon Castle was named rookie of the year after a phenomenal first season. The Spurs also added Dylan Harper to the roster through the NBA draft as they had the 2nd overall pick. They also added a personal favorite of mine in Cater Bryant with the last pick in the lottery.
The Spurs still have Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and some intriguing prospects on the team. They have Vassell on a contract with a descending salary, and then Victor Wembanyama on his rookie contract. Add in Harper, and the finances look very nice for the Spurs. The on-court product and fit will be the overall question of the organization. For starters, Mitch Johnson had the interim tag removed shortly after the season. Legendary head coach Greg Popovich moved into the front office after his health scare early in the season. The fit mostly revolves around the guards Castle, Fox, and Harper. All three of them play with the ball in their hands, and none is a great shooter either. Potentially, staggering the minutes between the three is a likelihood, and adding in shooting with Harrison Barnes will create some lineup experimentation for Johnson as well. While the draft isn’t over, the Spurs still have a ton of draft capital using this to pair with a potential Fox could land another big star if they feel comfortable with the Castle and Harper pairing. The Spurs are also well below the luxury tax.
The player development side needs to see Sochan figure out the shooting and how to pair him with Wembanyama to keep the center from clogging the lane. Vassell, after a foot injury sidelined him for the beginning of the season, saw him return to the promising young star they drafted. Keldon Johnson will need to refine his overall feel for the game, too, and Castle has work on the playmaking. Hopefully, the lone season with Chris Paul will leave a lasting impression on him. Overall, I feel very good about this team. It may take some time to gel as they have the potential of too many cooks in the kitchen, but that’s a good problem to have, and they’ll have some great assets to move if they feel needed. Johnson seems to have a pulse on this team, and with essentially a practice year under his belt, he’ll take the reins. If the Spurs stay healthy, watch out for them in the ever-so-tough Western Conference.
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