Pascal Siakam doesn’t need a long runway anymore. Training camp is over, preseason is behind the Indiana Pacers, and now it’s time for the games to count.
The Pacers open Wednesday night at the New Orleans Pelicans with a roster that stretches from 21-year-old Johnny Furphy to 34-year-old T.J. McConnell. Indiana brings 17 players into the opener at Smoothie King Center, and the team’s age range reflects the balance Siakam believes can help the group move forward after a 19-win season.
“I think we have a good mix of youth and veteran leadership,” Siakam said. “And I think that, yeah, obviously we didn't play the way we wanted last year.
So we have goals, we have aspirations. And I'm excited about the potential, going out there and showing what we can do.”
He added: “But again, everyone is excited at this time of the year, right? So it's a matter of who wants it the most and who's gonna be going as hard as they can to achieve their goals, 'cause everyone has the same goal at the beginning of the year, so. I'm excited about our group though.”
Siakam, who is 32 and entering his 11th NBA season, said Tuesday that he is “tired of training and practices” and ready for actual competition. Indiana’s preseason ended with a 1-3 record, but the veteran forward sees a team built to take a step forward.
McConnell is part of that veteran backbone. He’s going into his 12th season overall and his eighth with the Pacers after signing with Indiana in July 2019. He did not play in any of the four preseason games, and the team did not disclose a reason.
Indiana added more experience over the summer with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. Oubre, 30, signed on July 7, while Nance, 33, followed two days later. Both entered the league in 2015.
The frontcourt also includes Ivica Zubac, 29, whom the Pacers acquired on Feb. 5.
That preseason slate gave Zubac his first game action alongside Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. Siakam himself has been with Indiana since the team traded for him in January 2024, and last season he averaged 24.0 points in 62 games while earning his fourth All-Star selection.
At the other end of the roster, Indiana still has plenty of young talent to sort through. Braden Smith, a 23-year-old rookie guard from Purdue, joined the organization after Indiana acquired his draft rights from the Chicago Bulls on June 24. He tied for the team lead with five assists in the Oct. 13 preseason game at Oklahoma City, and Haliburton has compared Smith’s passing to McConnell’s.
Jarace Walker is also 23 and in his fourth season. Indiana got his draft rights from the Washington Wizards in 2023, and he was inactive for the team’s 128-127 overtime loss to Milwaukee in the preseason finale.
Ben Sheppard, 25, was the 26th pick in 2023, while Furphy, 21, is dealing with a torn right ACL suffered in February. Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, both 26, round out another key part of the younger core. Nembhard, the 31st pick in 2022, had 11 points and seven assists against Milwaukee.
On the other side Wednesday, New Orleans finished 26-56 last season. Indiana’s former draft pick Bennedict Mathurin, selected sixth in 2022, is now with the Pelicans after signing a two-year, $16 million contract in August.
The Pacers return home Friday for their first game at their own building, hosting the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Pacers Open The Season With A Problem They Didn't Want
The Pacers head into their season opener already having to reshuffle the rotation, and the timing could not be much worse. Aaron Nesmith has been ruled out with a left hamstring strain, leaving Indiana without its starting small forward as it tries to get the new season moving in the right direction. His absence hands Kelly Oubre Jr. a chance to step into the lineup, while the injury also nudges the coaching staff toward more minutes for the wing depth behind him.
There is more uncertainty in the backcourt, too, with T.J. McConnell still sidelined by a right hamstring strain. For a team that leans on pace, pressure and energy, losing two rotation pieces before the first game is a frustrating start, especially when the bench is supposed to help stabilize things early. Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard are among the players who could be asked to pick up some of the slack, and the opening stretch now comes with an immediate test of Indiana's depth. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Trade Buzz Hints At A Bigger Plan Around Haliburton
The Pacers offseason chatter has started to sharpen around the idea that the front office is looking for more than just a bounce-back year. Bleacher Reports Dan Favale recently named three possible trade targets for Indiana in Yves Missi, Jaylin Williams and Jordan Walsh, a list that points to the kind of roster-building decisions the team may be weighing as it tries to keep pace in a crowded East.
A healthy Tyrese Haliburton changes the conversation almost immediately. Indiana is expected to take a step forward with Haliburton back from injury, and the projections reflect a team that could win a lot of games if the supporting cast fits properly around him. Haliburton already signed his five-year extension in 2023, so the long-term plan is clear enough - now the interesting part is whether the Pacers use trade talks to accelerate it. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Face A T.J. McConnell Concern They Can't Ignore
T.J. McConnells availability has suddenly become an early Pacers concern, with the veteran guard expected to miss the first game of the season because of a hamstring strain. For a team that leans on his pace, energy and steadying presence, the timing is hard to ignore, especially with the regular season just getting underway and the point guard room looking thinner than usual.
McConnells value has always come from the same relentless style that has helped him last this long, even as he enters his mid-30s and continues to battle the wear that comes with playing that way. The bigger question now is not just how long he sits, but what Indiana does if this becomes more than a short-term issue, because there isnt a clear like-for-like answer waiting behind him. [Read more 🡒]