This season, the Pacers made a lot of progress. Here’s how their coach may support them in continuing to make progress.
The Indiana Pacers remain a youthful team with plenty of potential. Despite their accomplishments this season, they recognize the need to build on their progress further. Reaching the Eastern Conference Finals marked their first playoff appearance since 2020, which was a significant achievement, but they aspire for greater success.
Indiana’s core remains young, with Pascal Siakam potentially being the oldest starter at 30 if he stays with the team. This underscores their reliance on their head coach to guide them strategically and position them for victories.
Rick Carlisle, despite some notable errors in the playoffs, particularly in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, has been effective in fostering a cohesive offensive unit. Now, the focus is on advancing to the next level of performance and achievement.
Rick Carlisle can help the Pacers improve on defense next year
Rick Carlisle successfully pushed the Pacers to play a fast-paced game and make swift offensive decisions. Now, the challenge lies in replicating that success on the defensive end, where deficiencies have hindered their path to becoming a Finals contender this season.
Improving their perimeter defense is crucial for Indiana, and while Carlisle has input in personnel decisions, he ultimately controls how the team positions itself defensively to prevent opponents from easily penetrating their defense.
The Pacers’ defensive performance last season was subpar, but they don’t necessarily need to become defensive elites; achieving an average defensive rating could suffice. There were glimpses of this potential in games against Boston, but consistency was lacking.
Carlisle’s coaching focus should center on instilling defensive consistency. If he can achieve this, the Pacers have a real shot at advancing past the Eastern Conference, something they haven’t achieved since 2000.
Leave a Reply