Larry Nance Jr. hasn’t spent long in Indiana, but he already sees what the Pacers want to be about.
The veteran forward signed a one-year deal with Indiana in July, arriving a week after the team added Kelly Oubre Jr. in free agency. With center Ivica Zubac also among the newcomers, the Pacers are leaning on a small group of fresh faces as they open the season Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Nance’s read on the group is straightforward: this team runs on speed, work, and a standard that shows up every day.
"Honestly, it's less so what we've done, even at practice. People here have just made me feel super welcome," Nance said.
"This is an incredible organization. A lot of places talk about culture, but this is a culture.
These guys work hard. They are in here early on off days.
It's really good for me to see, really good for other guys to see as well."
He added, "[I'm] just getting here, but I feel welcome," Nance continued. "But they've done an awesome job, the front office, the coaching staff, the players, of kind of opening their arms. And me, Kelly, some of the new guys, really doing a good job of ingratiating us."
For Nance, Indiana is the sixth stop of his NBA career. He landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 2018 when the Lakers traded him there, then signed a four-year, $44.8 million extension with Cleveland that October. He returned to the Cavaliers for a second stint before making the move to Indianapolis, where he appeared in 35 games last season.
Oubre arrives with his own recent production from Philadelphia, where he averaged 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists last season while shooting 46.7%. Indiana signed him to a two-year, $17 million contract.
Zubac’s Indiana run, meanwhile, was brief. After the Feb. 5 trade from the LA Clippers, he played five games before his season ended.
The backdrop in Indiana is still one of the NBA’s best recent runs. The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2024, then got all the way to the NBA Finals in 2025 before losing Game 7 to Oklahoma City. Last season changed fast after Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in that game, and Indiana still managed 19 wins without him.
There are signs the organization’s identity still carries weight inside the building. General manager Chad Buchanan told ESPN’s Jamal Collier this month that the team has "a great coach who figures things out" when asked about the Haliburton-Zubac pick-and-roll.
Rick Carlisle has made the same point from a different angle. When speaking about Quenton Jackson, he called the backup guard "everything that we are trying to be about" from a culture standpoint.
That culture extends to the margins, too. Indiana signed James Johnson to an Exhibit 9 training camp contract on Sept. 22, then waived the 39-year-old on Oct. 17, two days before opening-night rosters were due.
Still, the door may not be closed. Carlisle said, according to Fieldhouse Files, "He's a tone setter," Carlisle said, according to Fieldhouse Files.
"He's a great leader in the locker room. He's a great practice player.
He's working with players on situations and all kinds of different things. And, you know, our guys love him.
They have great respect for him."
Fieldhouse Files’ Scott Agness reported that the hope is to bring Johnson back next month, once the prorated cost of a veteran minimum fits under the first apron. That plan could still shift depending on results, injuries, or another player becoming available.
The Pacers are in the luxury tax and operating close to the first apron, where the team is hard-capped. Indiana currently has 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
In Other News...
Pacers Open The Season With A Problem They Didn't Want
The Pacers are heading into opening night already juggling their rotation, with Aaron Nesmith ruled out because of a left hamstring strain. His absence leaves a gap on the wing right away, and it puts some early pressure on a group that was supposed to settle into roles quickly as the season got going.
Kelly Oubre Jr. is the likely fill-in at small forward, while the coaching staff may have to lean more heavily on bench options such as Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard. Indiana is also still without T.J. McConnell, who remains sidelined with a right hamstring strain, so the early-season backcourt and wing depth will be tested before the Pacers even get fully underway. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Could Be Forced Into An Early Guard Rotation Test
T.J. McConnells preseason absence already gave the Pacers a glimpse of how thin their backcourt can look if the veteran reserve guard is unavailable. McConnell sat out all four exhibition games with a hamstring strain, and the team is still sorting through his readiness as it turns toward the opener.
Rick Carlisle has said Indiana is working on getting McConnell prepared, but the timing leaves the Pacers with an early rotation question behind Tyrese Haliburton. Quenton Jackson is expected to take on a bigger backup role if needed, and Tuesday afternoons first injury report of the season should offer the clearest update yet on how soon Indiana can count on McConnell. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Open With Two Key Absences And A Huge Haliburton Question
The Pacers will have to open the season without a couple of familiar rotation pieces, with T.J. McConnell sidelined by a right hamstring strain and Aaron Nesmith out because of a left hamstring strain. Johnny Furphy is also unavailable as he continues to come back from right ACL surgery, leaving Indiana to adjust its backcourt and wing depth before the first tip of the year.
The bigger relief for Indiana is that Tyrese Haliburton has been cleared to return and is expected to play in the opener. Even with their point guard back in the mix, the Pacers will be forced to sort out how they cover for the missing minutes around him, and the early lineup choices could tell a lot about how this team plans to manage the first stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]