Indiana Pacers Media Availability | March 8, 2024

Indiana Pacers Media Availability | March 8, 2024

Uh we just got to have better starts we got to play more aggressive play more energy I got play more energy coming out of the gate um you know it’s a team it’s a team effort thing and we just got to have our minds right going in games

Better what’s the balance like that on your end I mean obviously cuz you’re going to be defending one of the best players usually the best player there’s obviously the issue with fouls and making sure that you know you want to come out and aggressive but you don’t

Want to get yourself in trouble early like how how do you balance that and work yourself kind of work yourself into a matchup but also you know trying to tow to line with fouls and being my aggressive self um it’s been a little you know little challenging and I just

Got to you know kind of throw it out the window and play more effort honestly like games like that if I came up with a better mindset you know we have a better start um you know could have a different result the beginning there always has to

Be a little bit of an acclamation process when you’ve been out for a couple weeks and you come back you feel like you’re normal self feeling right now uh no I still I still got work to make up um you know we’re working and we’ll get there you played number one

Strength defensive team last game the next two teams are in the top five when you’re playing a team like that you go into the game what are the the additional challenges those matchups provide uh I said we just got to play with effort energy hard play um you know

We could be anybody uh so as long as we do those controllables you know we’ll be fine when I asked Rick about you know succeeding against those teams he mentioned your defense not your offense is that where it all starts getting stopped so you can get out and run yeah

I mean whenever we get in transition nobody can stop us so we get stops uh nobody can guard us were you a little bit like the rest of us just surprised where Ant-Man came from last night I mean you you probably couldn’t see where he was at and you were attacking the

Basket uh yeah on that final play I mean you missed the free throw Tai made a good Outlet pass uh I had no option but to attack the rim in my opinion you know mad situation got to be aggressive two-point game try to TI um Euro conly

Went for the layup and he made a hell of a play I mean now I think every time you play top team in you know in any conference you know obviously they first in the west so those games are always good cuz you know like they’re going to bring it

Um and they have a really solid team like so um all those games and and I don’t think we really need any real like motivation anyway at this point of time for games cuz every game is important like all those games we got to go in and

There going to be that that type of attitude touch the entirety it’s going to show like that every team has their strength but they’re number one in defense and you’re playing two more teams top five in defense in the next two games what added challenge is a team

Like that no it’s tough obviously really good teams um that we playing against good defense um also like good offense you know like from both teams so it’s going to be it’s going to be tough but I think that the way we play the game and

If we play at our pace and and do the things that we do I think you know we’ll be hard to guard for those teams also so as long as we we stay locked in on defense and and focus on that and like you know have a good started games and

Play the S way I think our offense would be okay early fourth quarter Ben Jar’s both on the court making plays uh in a big atmosphere crucial situation what does it say about their development a it’s great it’s great for them having those guys coming in um they’re learning

Every day I see them they working like I think like obviously the best teacher is like this time on the floor to be honest like being out there being able to make mistakes or having an opportunity to make mistakes but you know that you’re going to be there in the next play going

To play hard and they just give everything that they had like to be honest and and then obviously he’s probably had more than than J but like both of those guys you know going to be good for a long time just got to you know keep their head down keep working

Um and I think the time going come how did your uh you went down for a little bit in that game after everything come out of that it’s all right I’m okay man from the motherland um I mean obviously like you said they one of the best defensive teams in the

League so we knew the what it was going to be coming into the game uh they took us a lot out of a lot of our first action so we had to go second and third and play Pace after after that and I think that helped us a lot just building

On like obviously we know they’re going to start denying tie a lot more now and obviously with Pascal they’re going to start doubling him and deny him as well so everybody else we got to figure out a way to play around there and figure out

How to get next AC off that you play Orlando theyve played you tough here a couple of different times as you look ahead to that match up even though the the lineups and the rotations are a little different than they were what out as as a key uh pretty much we just know

How physical the game is going to be uh we know last few times they kind of they pked us in our home you know so like our main goal is to go into the road and get a win and make sure that we just like out try out physical

Them you know like I said we know around the league that they’re one of the most physical teams that we have played this year and uh that’s just something that we got to be able to play around how tough is it to out physical a physical

Team oh it’s always tough you know I mean like they got a whole bunch of guys that play hard whole bunch of guys that just continue to like to nag at you and continue to chip at you I mean obviously they got a whole bunch of great players

As well so I mean we all we know going in is going to be a tough game but we got to just be the team that we stands early fourth quarter you had jarus and Ben both on the court both making plays what does it say about their uh

Progression in their rookie season that they can do that it’s amazing especially how late late in the season is you know obviously with us making a playoff push uh it’s always rookies always have a tough time finding their way in the league you know I mean it’s your first

Year playing in the professional League playing against grown men and I think they they were standing um held their own for a long time you know I mean we all know what they can do it’s just imag them going out there and executing to the best of he look really comfortable

Yesterday where do you feel like you are uh I’m still trying to find my rhythm you know what I mean was I believe it was like my fifth or sixth game back you know I mean obviously you know there’s no excuse of go out there

You got to play hard every time but at the end of the day I just got to find my rhythm though I mean trying to find my shot back and just trying to find way to be effective for the team RI talked a lot about just first quarters get better obviously you had

Three kind of rough ones in the last quarter what’s what’s the most important thing that has to get better there I think one thing being just bringing more presence uh pretty much just I think it’s just our intensity and our our our effort you know what I mean like that’s

Those things that we can control and uh that feels though that’s what’s getting us behind in the first quarters you know again a full start and like I said our energy just has to be there for the getg go we can’t we’re not a team that can

Just turn it on and switch on whenever we want we got to be able to play from start to finish the same way oh

Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Jalen Smith speak to media following Friday’s practice.

0:00 – Aaron Nesmith
1:58 – Pascal Siakam
3:56 – Jalen Smith