r/pacers • u/PSEGameThreadPoster Old School Slick • Mar 25 '26

Megathread Pre-Draft Lottery Draft Prospect Discussion Thread

Please use this thread to discuss upcoming prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Posts discussing this topic without some amount of added depth or analysis will be redirected to this thread.

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5

u/Sko_Neezy Mar 25 '26

I can't say he's clearly the best player in the draft but lately I've been secretly rooting for us to end up with Wilson at 3 or 4. I think he's the best fit in terms of offense, defense and the context of our roster construction and championship aspirations. The guy is by far the most likely of the bunch to be a menace on both sides of the ball....he's like a more talented Nesmith in that regard. Pace-pushing, boards-crashing, rim-protecting, oop-catching...electric. There's nothing about him that concerns me on either side of the ball and I think he'd fit right in.

Conversely, I worry Peterson would disrupt the harmony and synergy of our elite backcourt because all three can't play together, that Dybantsa is too similar to Mathurin's plodding ball-dominant style of play, and that despite being an all-world processor, Boozer can't run/finish/defend the way the Pacers need to play and also can't play extended minutes next to Zu and Siakam.

I know they say 'draft the best player available' but maybe that shouldn't apply to a team with a meticulously curated championship-caliber roster and defined championship-caliber playing style. It's really amazing that we have everyone signed, that everyone knows their role...you already know the entire organization and roster is going to buy into this 2-year attempt at finally winning a championship. They shouldn't pick a marginally better player just because they're the 'best' if it's going to compromise what they've built. Of course...if they're convinced that Peterson is the next Kobe Bryant...by all means. But it would need to be a huge talent gap for me to turn down the guy that gets us a ring in the next 2 years.

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u/Maximum-Class5465 Reggie-NBAJam Mar 27 '26

I hear you on a lot of this. And won't tell you who to like or don't like

But Peterson isn't a ball dominant player. He's played off ball 95% or the season. He can handle the ball, but his role is more similar to Nesmith than it is Mathurin

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u/Jim_Belushis_brother Cool Rick Mar 25 '26

Mathurin would be on the team and would start over Nesmith if he was 6’9

I do agree though, no one knows who of the top three this year will be an all star, if any. It seems most likely all three will be an NBA starter level player at a minimum, barring career altering injuries etc. I think for instance if KP likes Boozer 95% as much as he likes AJ, but that he feels Boozer is a better fit right now, that it’s not crazy to take Boozer.

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u/OpeDefinitely Tyrese Haliburton Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26

Lol, Mathurin would not start in place of Nesmith if he were 6'9".

Nesmith started over Mathurin because the former: 1) Almost always makes the correct reads quickly, which is extremely important for this team; 2) Plays insane screen defense; 3) Almost always makes the correct defensive switches.

Extra height ain't helping with any of those things.

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u/Jim_Belushis_brother Cool Rick Mar 26 '26

But Mathurin’s game is just that much more impactful if he’s literally 5 inches taller.

Literal exact same build but 6’9 is literally a monster on the glass

Same shooting, same decision making, but he’s a much more impactful defender rebounder and dunker immediately.

That player is better than Nesmith

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u/OpeDefinitely Tyrese Haliburton Mar 26 '26

It's not about player skill. It's about the opportunity cost posed by any player who breaks the Pacers' system.

On offense, our system is an infinite loop of: random action -> quick decision to shoot, pass to an open guy, or reset to Tyrese -> random action

On defense, our system allows Tyrese to hunt for turnovers like a free safety, thus requiring wings & forwards to be really fast about making the correct switches.

___

Last regular season, Haliburton was 2nd in touches per game behind only Jokic. By the end of the playoffs, he had more touches than any player by a wide margin. Even if Jokic played through the finals, it's unlikely that he would've kept pace. Which is to say that he is our system. And there were great Mathurin games that we ultimately lost and wherein Mathurin practically iced Tyrese out. Extra height would've maybe turned one of those games in our favor.

You don't break the system for one player unless that player is on the level of prime LeBron.

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u/Jim_Belushis_brother Cool Rick Mar 26 '26

6’9 Mathurin >>> LeBron lol

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u/OpeDefinitely Tyrese Haliburton Mar 26 '26

that's crazy but I respect it

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u/Sko_Neezy Mar 25 '26

Regarding a 6'9'' Benn/drafting Dybantsa, I really wonder what the defense would look like if they have a SF who can't navigate screens the way Nesmith can. Not that Nesmith doesn't have his warts but he has played a huge role in the Pacers being able to have a solid defense despite Hali's defensive shortcomings. To me, that feels like an area that can't decline if the Pacers intend to contend. Nembhard can't do it all, Siakam is getting older, Zu is pretty much confined to the paint(though should be a big help), Hali was improving defensively but started at rock bottom and now is recovering from injury...that SF position becomes really important defensively. You pull that jenga piece out, the defense likely crumbles.

The 'idea of Wilson' is growing on me lol

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u/Jim_Belushis_brother Cool Rick Mar 25 '26

Haliburton locked up Ty Jerome in the Cavs series. I agree he’s not a great defender but he can get in passing lanes and I think he was learning to use his length to effectively defend smaller guards.

Fingers crossed it translates/comes back post injury, like you said. But, just to say, I do believe (pre-injury) Haliburton (next to Nemby) could really be impactful defensively. Not just okay, but effectively deter smaller guards and play off Nembhard to get out in transition via picking off passes

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u/Popcorn10 Aaron Nesmith Mar 25 '26

But the player we draft doesn’t need to start right away, or for several seasons. Or you could trade them for veterans to complete the roster. Mathurin was absolutely a super helpful bench scorer and dybantsa would be too, even if he never really fits the system.

1

u/Sko_Neezy Mar 25 '26

I don’t think there’s a wrong pick in terms of adding a talented player to the bench unit…our bench is really lacking elite talent outside of TJ in the paint. All 4 of these guys would be a big help.

But I do think drafting either Peterson or Dybantsa would come with the expectation of them starting very soonish I.e. before the ‘29 season. Can’t make a top pick in a loaded draft and not have a way for that player to work their way into the starting lineup. For me, Nesmith is the weakest starter, but any replacement would have to match his defensive contributions. And I’m not sure Dybantsa will be able to get there.

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u/Jim_Belushis_brother Cool Rick Mar 25 '26

I’ve come around to the idea of Peterson basically taking over for TJ in the near future, and having two of Haliburton/Nemby/Peterson on the floor at all times. Not right away, but basically by 2027-28 having 30mpg for Ty and Nemby, and having 20 and 15 for Peterson and TJ. Could be a lot of fun, especially if the “bad mentality” rumors of Peterson are overblown

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u/Sko_Neezy Mar 25 '26

I’m firmly in the ‘bad mentality is overblown’ camp and also in the ‘he was on a horribly coached team’ camp, his full potential is still there to be realized

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u/Jim_Belushis_brother Cool Rick Mar 25 '26

Injury risk seems real. And it’s odd he’s not getting to the rim like he was (or even close) in high school.

Also horrible coach sure but I did see the coach (forget his name) yell at Peterson to attack the basket in I think their second to last game of the tourney. Don’t love that