The Indiana Pacers have a rotation decision to make with the season closing in, and it does not sound like one that should be solved by handing out a label and calling it a day.
Tyrese Haliburton is set to return after an Achilles injury cost him a year. Aaron Nesmith is also back after missing half of 2025-26. Andrew Nembhard will try to build on the statistical jump he made during his gap-year stretch, and Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac are still waiting to get the credit their all-around play deserves.
Behind that group, Indiana already made one clear move by bringing in Kelly Oubre Jr. as a priority free-agent signing because of how he fits on the floor. He joins a second unit fueled by TJ McConnell and Obi Toppin, two players whose energy never seems to run out.
The real question is the last spot. If the Pacers decide not to use a ninth man, their top eight would be asked to average 30 minutes per game. That would be light for starters, but it would put a lot of pressure on the whole roster.
Jay Huff is the name many have pegged for that role, but the case for locking him in is shaky. Good teams do not keep unworthy players in the rotation just because the depth chart says so. If Indiana wants to climb back into contender territory, the rotation has to be built on performance, not on neat little position boxes.
And that is where the depth conversation gets tricky.
The Pacers do not have the kind of bench that lets them casually spread minutes around. Jarace Walker still has not shown meaningful impact since going No. 8 overall in 2023. Ben Sheppard has defended well and bumped up his corner three-point percentage last season, but he remains inconsistent as a shooter and as a dependable rotation piece.
Huff, for his part, is not exactly a game-changer as a backup center. He can stretch the floor at a passable but still not especially inviting level, run in transition, attack a closeout, and rebound adequately.
That is useful. It is not irreplaceable.
His role also grew out of Indiana’s roster situation more than from some clear long-term need. Huff was brought in to fill the center void after Myles Turner left, and he handled that job well enough during the team’s 19-win gap year.
But if Turner had stayed, it is fair to wonder whether the Pacers would have made the same move at all. The answer probably leans no.
The lesson from the Knicks’ title run is the one Indiana should pay attention to: play the best players. Ariel Hukporti barely mattered in New York’s rotation even though he was their second- or third-string center, while Jose Alvarado, Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek all logged major minutes despite overlapping skill sets.
That is the point. Good teams cover holes. Great teams lean into their best players and make the rest of the roster fit around that identity.
For the Pacers, the route back starts there - not with forcing a clean-looking 10-man structure, but with putting the right players on the floor, even if the math at center does not look tidy.
In Other News...
Pacers Camp Is Already Hinting At Carlisles Toughest Rotation Calls
Indianas 2026-27 season prep is underway with Media Day and the first training camp practices, and the early look already suggests Rick Carlisle is going to have choices to make. The expected starting group of Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac gives the Pacers a clear backbone, but the rest of camp is where the real examination begins as returning pieces and new additions compete for roles.
With the roster mostly healthy, the focus has shifted to how quickly the second and third units can settle in and how much depth Carlisle can trust once the games count. It is the kind of camp setup every coach wants, even if it leaves some rotation decisions hanging in the air for now, because the challenge is no longer simply getting bodies on the floor but figuring out which combinations can hold up over a full season. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers May Have Found A New Lineup Piece They Needed
Kelly Oubre Jr. has quickly become one of the more intriguing additions in Pacers camp, and the early buzz around him has been encouraging. Indiana brought in the veteran small forward on a two-year contract, and head coach Rick Carlisle has already singled out his work since camp opened. For a team always looking to add length, energy and a bit more two-way pop on the wing, Oubre fits the kind of low-drama, high-upside role the roster can use.
Pacers GM Chad Buchanan pointed to Oubres defensive impact and shooting ability as the key reasons Indiana wanted him in the first place, and those traits could help him carve out a meaningful spot in Carlisles rotation. Oubre arrives with a solid track record from Philadelphia and career averages of 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, but the bigger question in Indianapolis is how quickly he can translate that experience into the kind of steady lineup piece the Pacers have been searching for. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Hype Comes Down To One Massive Tyrese Haliburton Question
The Pacers are heading into preseason with the kind of cautious buzz that usually follows a breakout year, only this time the conversation starts and ends with Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana knows how much its ceiling depends on the star guards health, and after recovering from a torn Achilles, his return has become the defining piece of the entire season preview. Bleacher Reports No. 16 spot in its preseason power rankings captures the mood pretty well, with enough optimism to see a path forward and enough skepticism to keep expectations in check.
Preseason games are about to offer the first real look at how far along the Pacers are, but the larger question hangs over everything they do. In a crowded Eastern Conference, Indiana can talk about depth, continuity and momentum all it wants, yet Haliburtons status is the thread that ties the whole operation together. If he looks like himself, the Pacers have a real chance to climb. If not, the early enthusiasm may turn out to be more fragile than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]