Kelly Oubre Jr. may end up holding the key to how the Indiana Pacers sort out their rotation.
When free agency opened this past summer, Indiana had room for either one major addition or two smaller ones. The Pacers chose the quicker route, using that space to sign Oubre.
There were obvious reasons he fit. Maybe it was the respect he commanded.
Maybe it was the chance to join one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference after the Philadelphia 76ers had moved on from him so easily. More likely, it was the chance to cover either wing spot and the importance he would bring to the roster.
Now, with the season only a few months away, the role Oubre and the coaching staff settle on will shape the Pacers’ rotation for what the source calls the most important season in this era of Indiana basketball.
The problem is simple enough, even if the answer is not. Indiana has three wings - Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and Kelly Oubre - and only two of them can start. All three are good enough to play heavy minutes, but they also overlap just enough to complicate the lineup.
That makes the fit around them matter even more. It also ties into how the Pacers want to define themselves at center.
And that decision comes back to Oubre.
On paper, Nesmith, Nembhard and Oubre all bring something that can help a starting group and a second unit. Nembhard gives shot creation that the starters do not need as much, but the bench certainly does.
Nesmith’s volume shooting matters more to a reserve group than it does to the starters, even if the starters still need it. Oubre’s slashing is especially valuable for a bench that is smaller and needs pressure at the rim.
There’s an argument that all three are better fits coming off the bench. Nembhard, in particular, could be the cleanest move into a sixth-man role, which would let Nesmith slide up to shooting guard and let Indiana play faster right away.
But there are other paths too. Oubre could see himself more as a shooting guard. The coaching staff could prefer him as a reserve, keeping the rim pressure alive even in minutes without Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac.
Or Indiana could decide to start Oubre alongside Nembhard, leaving Nesmith out of the first group and turning the bench into a quicker, more shot-friendly unit. The question is whether that kind of change is the off-speed pitch the Pacers need in the playoffs.
For now, it all points back to how the team views Oubre.
And there is another factor: chemistry. Nesmith and Nembhard already know the system and the team better than the newcomer does. Because of that, the most natural outcome is the simplest one - Oubre coming off the bench.
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For Indiana, that profile would have made for an intriguing gamble. The Pacers have spent plenty of time looking for ways to raise their ceiling without clogging the offense, and Simmons at least fit the idea of a high-end connector on defense and in transition. Whether the fit ever made enough sense to become more than a thought is another matter, but a player with his playmaking and defensive value is the sort of swing teams notice when he becomes available again. [Read more 🡒]