The last time the Indiana Pacers had the No. 13 overall pick in the NBA Draft, it was Dale Davis in 1991.
On Tuesday night, the Pacers were in the lottery and won the No. 13 draft pick for this year’s upcoming NBA Draft per ESPN.
In the past 11 seasons…the Pacers made many mistakes drafting subpar or moderate players, restricting younger talent playing minutes to develop and trading elite talent such as Kawhi Leonard who went on to capture two NBA titles.
There must be an “accountable culture” the Pacers establish to figure out who will be the next guy to carry the franchise. Victor Oladipo wasn’t the key after he was traded early this past season in a four-team deal resulting in Caris LeVert becoming a member of the Pacers.
A small forward is ideal and would give the Pacers another young rookie who can score and create shots in tense moments down the stretch. Therefore, it eases the patience of waiting on a T.J. Warren if he ends up missing a majority of the 2021-22 season due to another injury. 3-and-D specialists are very rare in the NCAA and this will be the pick that determines how serious the Pacers are about the “now” instead of the future.
One thing the Pacers lacked this past season was having multiple rim protectors who could clog the lane and post up on offense. Rebounds were an issue and the three-point shooting will be a focus heading into this offseason.
Will the Pacers make the right pick or will they pass up on a future superstar averaging 24 points per game on 50 percent shooting?