Despite making the Eastern Conference Finals last season and falling to the eventual NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, new beginnings are on the horizon for the Indiana Pacers as they gear up for training camp.
Pacers forward Myles Turner may have said it best:
“No one cares anymore. It was fun for the city. It was fun for what the season was last season, but ultimately, we fell short.”
Turner, now in his tenth season in the league, all spent with the Pacers, is looking to hone his defensive prowess in training camp and the season ahead.
“I think that defensive rebounding is a huge thing,” Turner said. “Our pick and roll defense is something that has gotten better and needs to continue to get better.”
Pacers forward Ben Mathurin, who missed the playoffs with a shoulder injury, shared what it was like watching his team battle without him.
“It was hard; it was really hard,” Mathurin said. “To not be able to play, put on a uniform, seeing my teammates have fun and compete. But it was also great to see the team in a different lens. To see how great of a team we had and seeing what I could have brought to the team. It was hard to watch, but it was great to learn.”
Many fans believe that Mathurin was the ‘X-factor’ the Pacers were missing for the postseason.
Forward Pascal Siakam, who the team traded for last season via the Toronto Raptors, spoke about the lack in being able to build chemistry with the team due to the late arrival.
“I think [training camp] is going to help a lot,” Siakam said.
He also recalled his first game with the Pacers last year and how unaware he was of plays due to the lack of chemistry building.
“You kind of underestimate coming to a new team in the middle of the year,” Siakam said. “The things you learn in training camp and the habits you build are extremely important. I am sure it is going to help out this year.”
Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who led the league in assists last season with 10.9 per contest, believes this season can be different.
“For us as a group, we have a ton of guys who have chips on their shoulders for different reasons,” Haliburton said. “I think everybody has different motivations. I think that is the exciting part. We know what we are capable of. We have always known. We won’t talk about it. We will be about it.”
Additionally, Haliburton secured a gold medal with USA Basketball in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about the team’s defensive mishaps last season.
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“There will be a lot of attention paid to the defensive end,” Carlisle said.
He also pointed out how the team hovered around the bottom tier of the league in defense rating around Christmas of 2023.
“We believe we can get better (on defense),” Carlisle said. “Hopefully we can become a top 10 defensive team.”
The Pacers’ first preseason game is against the Hawks in Atlanta, tipping Oct. 8. The first regular season game for the Hickory Hopeful takes place Oct. 23 against the Pistons in Detroit.
Contact multi-media & senior sports reporter Noral Parham III at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more Pacers Media Day news courtesy of the Indianapolis Recorder, click here.
