5 burning questions addressed by Pacers at Media Day
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – With training camp starting this week across the NBA, the Indiana Pacers hosted Media Day on Monday.
Take a look at the photo gallery that features the first peek at the new-look roster that the Pacers have assembled.
There is plenty of excitement this season with contract extensions for Tyrese Halliburton and Myles Turner, offseason acquisitions in Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin, and a bevy of new draft selections including No. 6 overall pick Jarace Walker and No. 26 overall pick Ben Sheppard.
We asked head coach Rick Carlisle and the star Pacers players the five burning questions that you need answered.
1. Are the Pacers still in rebuild mode or will the Blue and Gold be serious contenders for the Eastern Conference Playoffs?
“We’ve spent two solid years really in true development mode,” Coach Carlisle said. “We’re going to keep an eye on development, but we’re looking to take competitive steps. It’s going to be hard. This is the NBA.”
2. Will Buddy Hield be playing for the Pacers on Wednesday, Oct. 25 when the Wizards come to town?
“He’s gonna be a free agent in the summer,” Carlisle started. “[Buddy and I] have talked extensively about his situation. I know he’s gonna come in and compete… It’s our hope that we can work out an agreement to have him here long-term. If it doesn’t happen right away, that’s okay.”
Hield himself talked about the dicey contract situation heading into this season.
“They traded for me, so I expect [to be here long term],” Hield said. “I love being around my teammates, I love Rick, we have a great relationship… I love being here so I don’t see a reason why not.”
3. Can Tyrese Haliburton help get the Pacers to the next level after the team took big strides last season?
“I’m just tired of losing. I just want to win,” Haliburton said. “I haven’t had a winning season since my freshman year of college so to be honest I’m just tired. I just want to win games. I know there are some things I have to change about what I do as a basketball player to do that. I’m just willing to do that to win games.”
“We have a young budding superstar in Tyrese,” Carlisle said. “[He] has such great, natural leadership qualities. He’s accountable, he’s an extremely hard worker.”
4. Can the Pacers improve their defense that allowed the second most points per game in the NBA last season?
“We can outscore any team. We got up and down and put up a lot of points last year but we didn’t stop the other team,” center Myles Turner said. “[This year], there will be some games when you look at the final score and it will be in the 80s or the 90s, that old school style of basketball… that’s a goal, is to keep teams under 100 points.”
“We are going to score the ball,” Haliburton said. “But if we can get stops, we could get into that top half of the NBA defensively and get into the playoffs. We know that is where the biggest level of growth will be for us.”
5. Will Bennedict Mathurin take the next step in his development after a stellar rookie season?
“Benn’s gonna take that next step, I’m telling you,” Turner said. “His mentality won’t allow him to fail. That’s what I like about Benn a lot. He obviously put some work in, you see it in his demeanor, but he also brings an edge to this team that I think we’ve been missing. I think he’s gonna take the next step.”
“Benn Mathurin has the ability to be a high-level two-way player in this league,” Coach Carlisle said. “He’s made strides this summer. It’s going to be very important for his career, and for our franchise that he gets there.”
“I think he could be extremely good on both ends of the floor,” free agent signee Bruce Brown said. “As you know, he can score the s— out of the ball. Nobody can stop him. But he is strong enough and quick enough to be an elite defender in this league. I’m trying to push him to be there.”
“I feel like I learned a lot,” Mathurin himself said. “I went through 82 games. I was able to grow and to learn a lot about what the NBA is like… I’ve watched film a lot this summer to try to improve my weaknesses, I’m feeling more confident going into next year.”
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