It's not just the Lakers who are suffering the repercussions of their NBA Cup run. Since their loss in the final in Las Vegas, the Pacers have four losses in five games, including four spankings in a row. For Rick Carlisle, the latest, with 151 points conceded at home against the Clippers, is the last straw.
Tuesday's training was thus the scene of a complete overhaul, as during the first training which launches a season. The rotations have been turned upside down, and the Pacers coach could well start from scratch for the next match against Charlotte, by redefining his hierarchy with defense as the first imperative.
Charlotte, the ideal opponent to work with
“It must be said that we really needed it. There was a lot of work on defense, a lot of work on the bases. It's been a while since we've been able to do things in real life in training. It was really necessary”, did he declare.
As a result, the Pacers' major five, today composed of Tyrese Haliburton, Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner could be modified against Charlotte. Rick Carlisle has not yet decided, leaving himself time to think, until this evening, to make his choice.
“Today we mixed up the teams. I told the guys I'd think about it.”he added. “I haven’t made a decision yet. Everything suggests that a reshuffle would be logical at this stage. But I have to make a decision based on today's training video and other things.”
Who will come out of the starting five?
If Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner are untouchable, we can expect Aaron Nesmith to be tested in the major five. And if Jalen Smith's injury limits options under the boards, Bennedict Mathurin can replace Buddy Hield in the starting five. As for Bruce Brown, he can always be shifted to position 4, as he had already done with the Nets and sometimes with the Nuggets.
“I have to find a way to make this contagious.” I talked to TJ McConnell, we talked about how we can try to bring energy, even if we're not on the field. This is something we need to continue to work on. We will fix it,” assures Aaron Nesmith.
Rick Carlisle, for his part, suggested another possibility, by narrowing his rotation to the ten most intense players in his squad.
“There is also the possibility of having 10 players playing at all times, to keep energy in the game. We will do everything we can. Our goal is to be a team built for the playoffs this year. Our ultimate goal is to be a team capable of fighting for the title. We must keep these two objectives in mind when making decisions” thus concluded the technician, in search of a delicate balance.
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 22 | 33.7 | 50.7 | 42.9 | 86.9 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 11.9 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 24.9 |
| Myles Turner | 24 | 27.2 | 50.2 | 33.0 | 77.2 | 1.9 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 16.9 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 25 | 25.4 | 44.5 | 36.9 | 84.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 14.2 |
| Buddy Hield | 25 | 25.7 | 44.2 | 37.6 | 80.0 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 12.6 |
| Obi Toppin | 25 | 24.0 | 61.4 | 38.3 | 78.4 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 12.3 |
| Bruce Brown, Jr. | 25 | 30.9 | 45.9 | 30.3 | 80.6 | 0.8 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 12.1 |
| Aaron Nesmith | 23 | 24.6 | 53.3 | 44.8 | 65.9 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 11.5 |
| Jalen Smith | 14 | 15.4 | 70.7 | 66.7 | 74.1 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 10.0 |
| Tj Mcconnell | 19 | 15.6 | 51.1 | 10.0 | 72.2 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 7.9 |
| Isaiah Jackson | 17 | 14.8 | 68.4 | 0.0 | 69.7 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 7.7 |
| Andrew Nembhard | 17 | 18.1 | 45.6 | 24.3 | 66.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 7.0 |
| Jordan Nwora | 9 | 12.2 | 49.0 | 34.8 | 80.0 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 6.9 |
| Jarace Walker | 8 | 10.5 | 42.9 | 27.3 | 100.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 3.8 |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | 3 | 5.8 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.7 |
| Ben Sheppard | 12 | 7.5 | 44.1 | 33.3 | 66.7 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 3.4 |
| Daniel Theis | 1 | 8.4 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| James Johnson | 2 | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
