The last five years, the Indiana Pacers seasons have ended with playoff disappointment, but this year, it ended with just disappointment. Indiana made the playoffs for five consecutive NBA seasons from 2016-20 with Nate McMillan, but after losing in the first-round each of those seasons, they decided to move on from McMillan and hire first-time head coach Nate Bjorkgren.
In his first season as head coach, Bjorkgren coached the Pacers to a 34-38 record, he lost the faith of his own locker room and made rash decisions that forced this organization to look in a new direction yet again.
Nate Bjorkgren was fired a couple weeks after the Pacers’ season ended and now, this organization is looking for ways to get back to possibly contending in the Eastern Conference.
They hired former head coach and long-time Dallas Mavericks head coach, Rick Carlisle, and with a ton of starpower in their starting rotation, the Pacers have the makings of being a team that can “bounce back” in a big way during the 2021-22 season, but they will have to stay healthy.
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Injuries have dampened the success of the Pacers over the last several years and they were hit hard again this past year, as Brogdon, Sabonis, Turner, LeVert and Warren all missed games during the 2020-21 season, T.J. Warren being hit the hardest as he underwent season-ending foot surgery after playing in just 4 games.
With Carlise in as head coach and all of their starters under contract for the 2021-22 season, the Indiana Pacers have now shifted their focus on the 2021 NBA Draft, as they hold the rights to the 13th pick this year.
The last time Indiana had a lottery pick in 2015, they drafted Myles Turner 11th overall, so they are hoping they can find some of that same magic again this year in the draft.
So who will the Pacers look to target and which prospects make the most sense for them moving forward? Let’s take a look at the top-4 options for the Indiana Pacers with the No. 13 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
