Is the starting small forward of the future on the Pacers roster? + What is James Wiseman’s ceiling?
What’s up Pacers fans? Alex and Facci answer the first 5 questions from the Mailbag Podcast and discuss the backup centers for the majority of this podcast, but also dive into a little Myles Turner talk and discuss if the Pacers have the small forward of the future on their current roster.
Devin – @basedevinO
Do you think Wiseman will rebound and have a decent season this year or is he truly a draft bust?
Travis – @PxcersFTW
Who do you think gets backup center minutes?
Jackson or Wiseman
Samuel Culbertson @sjc2397
The ceiling for James Wiseman?
Marc Goldsticker @hockeymsg
What is your prediction for the center rotation in the 2025-26 season?
CF @CFalcon31
Do we have the future starting SF on this current roster, or are they coming from elsewhere? If
Turner re-signs the next off-season, that should lock in 4 starters.
17 Comments
All depends on who stands out more with rebounds, defense, and offense
Thanks for fixing the mic ❤ love the show boys
Nesmith is the odd man out…we need to trade him to make space for walker and furphy
Hello,
Loosing Turner is okay, If they can somehow acquire Lauri Markkanen and play the 5 position. Turner is just better at ring protection. But besides that Turner and Markkanen have the same game.
My take on the situation is that the pacers go all out on acquiring a natural 3 and release Turner or plan a sign and trade for him in the likes of Markkanen.
The Mckey and Mullin comparison is very good Nesmith is not a natural 3 and I don't see him playing that position for a long time. If for some way he can play the 2 that will be a different story.
Alex your talking about Wiseman like he's a Journeyman type of Big man. Wiseman has 20 & 10 written all over his game that dude can flat out ball and if he was groomed right in Golden State he would have gotten a max deal from Golden State….Wiseman is a Dominant Big!!! And the Pacers front office knows this…
Myles is definitely gone. No sense in paying him big money. We already overpaid nembhard. We are going to have to pay mathurin as well after next season
Haliburton has talked well about Neemias Queta in the past and I believe that he is a free agent after this season. I think it’s time to start thinking about trading Myles and McConnell for a wing player
Not to beat the dead horse of hindsight here, but I think we really missed the mark not trading for Deni Avdija. Dude would have been the perfect wing for us.
I love Nesmith, he reminds me a lot of KCP. The difference is KCP isn’t asked to play the 3.
Keeping Turner probably requires trading Nembhard and/or Nesmith.
Myles and Jackson are not going to play every game. Wiseman will get opportunities if he's ready to play. If Obi gets those minutes, it will say a lot.
22:31 If Nesmith starts shooting 3s in the high 30s on some volume. He would become hard to replace given his defensive play.
Anyone talking about letting Myles walk or trading him for a small, need to get a grip. He's the only credible paint defender we have. What team has ever succeeded when their opponents can run layup drills on them perpetually? Unless Wiseman SHOCKS us with improvement, we must resign Myles, or trade him for someone who can do his job… that's not going to save us any money and it would lose a guy who likes it here, and has been a good teammate for a decade.
Ideally, Ty, Math, and JWalk all three get much better at D. That's the only way we get enough talent and size starting.
Nembhard should get starter's minutes playing either guard spot when a starter sits. Nesmith is a terrific backup.
Any way that leaves us with Nembhard starting at the 2 spot or Mathurin at the 3 leaves us very likely too small for contention. If two of the three get much better, it might work. But a Nembhard/Ben starting pair is a munchkin land off ramp to a early exit.
Nesmith you forget is a winner. I would love to see him get traded to a team like Lakers and turn the post-Bron team around (or Atlanta) just like he did with Boston in early 2022 before they started heating up. Pacers didn't sweat with Haliburton out of the lineup, I think that's what you really got to consider.
Wiseman had to work for his minutes last year and earned every minute he played. He works hard and I can’t wait to see him play with guards that love to pass the rock.
I think the Pacers should buy low on Ingram. The pelicans are desperate for a starting center and he fits nice with Zion, could see a package of Ingram plus pick(s) for Myles plus additional contract to make money work whim isn’t easy. As Pascal gets older I could see him playing more 5 which will create mismatches as he is so mobile.
NO PACER BIG has consistently been able to grab rebounds and defend well enough on a CONSISTENT manner.
Loosing any of their current bigs is okay.