THE Pacers handled the extremes last season. They shone in attack with enormous firepower (123.3 points on average), while being very bad in defense, even sometimes catastrophic.
Certainly, it was especially obvious before the arrival of Pascal Siakam (1st attack, 26th defense), who improved things a little (2nd attack, 22nd defense), but the team knows that there are still big progress to be made…
“This was obviously one of our weaknesses last season”, can only recognize GM Chad Buchanan. “We were magnificent in attack, among the best in history, and I think the coaches and players know that we have to take a step forward. We saw it against Boston in the playoffs: in the final minutes, they won with their defense. »
Building on last season's progress
If the overall picture remains quite negative, there was therefore an improvement during the 2023/24 season. With the presence of Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard in the major five, to support Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton, a more interesting balance had been found.
It wasn't perfect yet, but at least it was better and we now have to ride this wave.
“We have made progress. We know what needs to be done and we have learned a lot about our system. We will adapt this season, as we did last year. Our workforce is more powerful, more experienced. […] We decided collectively that defense and rebounding are important,” says Rick Carlisle. “Last year, we learned,” underlines the playmaker, who welcomed the continuity of the group this summer. “There, from the first day, we can have more complex rotations. »
Rotations will be a key issue for the Pacers defense. Last season, they chose to defend strongly at 3-points. They thus managed to reduce the number of shots attempted and taken. However, you have to pay the price and that is giving up the racket. As soon as a player attacked the circle, the rotations were not good and Indiana conceded a lot of points in the paint.
An often used all-terrain defense?
“We need to put more pressure on the ball carrier. We avoided winning shots, which is beneficial but it pushes players away from the racket. This was our main weakness,” analyzes Chad Buchanan. “You shouldn’t help too much” warns TJ McConnell. “You have to differentiate between defensive aids that are necessary and those that are not. If a defender is beaten, we must help him. Otherwise, you have to stay with your player. It was important to realize this during training camp. »
In addition, the Pacers do not refrain from repeating the experience of the playoffs, that is to say the use of all-terrain defense. To put pressure on the opposing playmaker, from the throw-in. As it is a powerful but physically exhausting weapon, it must be released at the right time. Its daily use is not viable, with the accumulated fatigue, during the long season of 82 matches.
“The goal is to make it part of our identity. This is not common in the NBA, however.explains Tyrese Haliburton. “But we are like that in attack too. We are not a group like the others. With our density and our style, I think we can expect us to play like that, to spread the game on both sides of the field. Last season, when we pushed teams to play fast, when most didn't want to, and with our fast-paced style, it worked to our advantage. »
