The Pacers may have a real closing-five puzzle worth solving in 2026-27, and that’s a good problem to have.
When the game tightens up, the last group on the floor matters just as much as the starting five - maybe more, given how quickly a 3-pointer can wipe out a comfortable lead. Indiana has enough talent and flexibility to approach that final stretch in a few different ways.
One obvious path is to stay with the expected starting group of Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac. That look gives the Pacers a true post presence in Zubac, and that kind of interior threat can stretch the floor in its own way.
But the defensive end is where the real test comes. Keeping opponents off the 3-point line and handling screen-roll action are the toughest jobs in basketball, and while Zubac can begin in drop coverage before stepping up to the level of the screen, that approach has to be executed cleanly.
There’s also a smaller look that could make sense, especially if Indiana isn’t facing a matchup nightmare like Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić or Giannis Antetokounmpo. In that version, Siakam slides to the five and Kelly Oubre Jr. becomes the fifth man. That would give the Pacers more speed on defense, and speed is already part of what they do.
Oubre’s role with Philadelphia shows why he fits that kind of setup. He was in the 76ers’ second-most used lineup in 2025-26 and 2023-24, and he was part of their most-used rotation in 2024-25.
He’s not a pure volume shooter from deep, and his 3-point stroke can run hot and cold, but he brings energy, toughness and the kind of edge teams want from a role player. When he’s locked in, he defends, he competes and he can swing the mood of a game.
That matters because the Pacers have enough shooting elsewhere to absorb his inconsistency. They shouldn’t have trouble scoring with him on the floor, and that changes how opponents have to defend them. Oubre can also create offense without needing a play called for him, which makes him a natural fit in motion-heavy lineups and at a faster tempo.
That style would suit him well in Indiana. Before Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers were the best passing team, and with Haliburton returning, this is the strongest group Oubre has ever played with. If Rick Carlisle wanted to lean into him even more, Oubre could be useful running extra screens for Haliburton, because he would keep getting free and have room to attack the basket.
There’s also a defensive case for him. In Philadelphia’s first-round series against the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown shot well against Oubre, but Tatum was less efficient, making 46.2 percent of his attempts against him. Sometimes that’s the bar: don’t let the star explode.
That smaller closing group would also let Siakam switch screen rolls instead of being forced to handle two jobs at once. It could give Indiana an advantage against smaller players who don’t have the cleanest handle.
Nesmith and Nembhard already bring disruptive perimeter defense and elite screen navigation, which should buy the back line time to get set. Add Oubre as the help defender, and the whole thing can turn messy for opponents in a hurry.
The jury is still out on who will sign LeBron James, but signing Oubre was one of the quieter offseason wins. Carlisle now has multiple ways to finish games, and with Oubre’s versatility in the mix, the Pacers have some real choices when the closing minutes arrive.
In Other News...
Pacers Fans Never Expected To Hear LeBron Linked To This Team
LeBron James next chapter suddenly has a Pacers-shaped wrinkle, and it starts with more than just offseason rumor. After his camp said he will not return to the Lakers next season, the leagues biggest name is back on the market, and Indiana has at least been mentioned among the teams that could make sense. The idea is strange on its face, but it is also the kind of star-driven possibility that gets attention in a hurry around a franchise that has spent the past year building real momentum.
There is even a local connection to keep an eye on, with LeBron set to host a live Mind the Game show with Tyrese Haliburton at Fanatics Fest. From there, the basketball fit is easy to imagine, with Haliburton and Pascal Siakam already giving Indiana a strong foundation and a theoretical LeBron addition changing the entire shape of the roster. Whether that ever moves beyond the conversation stage is still the real question, but for Pacers fans, the fact that the conversation is happening at all is enough to make this one worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Why Yuki Kawamura Is Suddenly Turning Heads With Rick Carlisle
Yuki Kawamura has been one of the more interesting names in Pacers summer league, and not just because of the box score. In a seven-point loss to Philadelphia on July 11, the guard logged 19 minutes, scored 12 points and finished plus-3, enough to draw a strong reaction from Rick Carlisle. The Pacers coach has liked what he has seen from Kawamuras pace and energy, and the rookie has given Indiana a jolt on a roster that is now 1-2 and headed out of the summer league bracket.
Carlisles praise matters because this is the kind of performance that can change the conversation around a player who arrived with little buzz. Kawamura has been active, alert and willing to push the action, which is exactly the sort of profile that can keep a coach watching even when the teams summer run is winding down. The larger question now is what this showing means once the games get more serious, and whether Indiana can find a way to keep him in the mix beyond Las Vegas. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Face A Risky Lakers Trade Question Around Haliburton's Core
The Pacers are still being sized up as a team on the rise as Tyrese Haliburton works his way back from the Achilles tear that cost him last season, and that alone keeps Indiana in the center of any bigger roster conversation. With Haliburton expected to return, the franchises outlook shifts from survival mode to something much closer to a playoff push, which is why even a hypothetical trade idea has to be judged against how it would fit the core around him.
Heavy Sports floated one of those cross-conference Lakers-Pacers scenarios that asks whether Indiana should keep leaning into its current mix or reshuffle pieces for a different kind of depth and flexibility. The broader question is less about the names involved than the direction: can the Pacers keep enough two-way stability around Haliburton while still adding the kind of supporting talent that helps them stay near the top of the East, as John Haliburton believes they can? [Read more 🡒]