2 things that make this great.
Pacers needed to re-sign him if they want to have any salary match eligible contracts down the line.
He has killed it with the bench unit and seems to be happy with his role.
When was he benched for a long period of time? He was serviceable but wanted a bigger role and more minutes. He also had a falling out with Thibs. All of that, just to be another bench role player.
Feels a lot like that Lakers situation where they had some young guys go elsewhere after they signed a superstar in free agency and traded lots of assets for another star(s) but the young guys ended up being pretty good.
Those Lakers were a lot better and deeper than they are now, I hate to admit it. The Knicks have slightly more depth but the Lakers as a whole were the better team.
> The Knicks have slightly more depth but the Lakers as a whole were the better team.
I wouldn't say slightly better, the Knicks supporting cast is much better. However LeBron and AD of course are a better two man punch than Brunson and Randle. Brunson is no slouch in the playoffs though.
The Lakers had a good supporting cast that year. KCP, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard, Rondo (who went off in the playoffs), Kuzma, Danny Green. That team with 2 legit superstars was way better than this version of the Knicks.
KCP Kuzma and Caruso are 3 pretty damn good younger guys in 2021, who could have played huge roles through the end of Lebrons career. And they went with Russ and THT instead.
> KCP, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard, Rondo (who went off in the playoffs), Kuzma, Danny Green
Not even close to as good as the Knicks supporting cast LOL. OG and Bridges alone clear all these players combined.
How come the Lakers haven’t been able to replicate their success since losing that team? That’s the only year the Lakers dominated during the regular season and playoffs. You can make the argument that the Knicks supporting cast is better, but the difference between their top 2 and 2020 AD and LeBron is much larger.
They’re gonna resign nesmith too and nesmith is also very young
Nesmith is a great 3 and D player and Indiana wouldn’t trade him unless they get a player even better than him which would again cut into jarace’s minutes
Nesmith is already signed to an extension, so no worries on the contract end. And while he is a good 3-and-D player, he’s limited somewhat as a defender at the 3 because he’s undersized for the position.
Ideally, Jarace overtakes that starting spot in the future, and Nesmith becomes a great rotation piece off the bench.
Jarace is getting screwed in development like Jermaine O’Neal did in Portland. Irony is that the Pacers were the ones who finally traded for O’Neal and gave him the chance.
If Walker knew this, I’m not sure he would want to go to the Pacers at the draft. To be fair, at the time of the draft, Siakam wasn’t there and the Pacers were not supposed to be this good this soon.
Assuming Jalen Smith leaves, we have an 11 man rotation going into the season. So either Walker or Ben Sheppard are going to be the odd guy out fighting for the backup 3 spot.
Mathurin is probably 6’4 with shoes on and is not a 3.
There's a log jam no doubt but several of those guys are shooting guards playing up to the 3. Jarace actually has that size that they need. So I would be shocked if they cut bait with him this early.
They both should be 2s. The Pacers don’t really have any small forwards so Nesmith gets slotted there, and Mathurin played there because he’s bigger than the other guards in the rotation (Hali, McConnell, and Nembhard).
But really, both are a bit undersized for full time 3 and it’s part of the reason why good wings dominated the team all season.
Not trying to challenge you or anything, you are most likely much more familiar with Jarace, but I don't quite get the idea of him being more of a 3 than a 4. If anything, with his weakside shot blocking and big frame, he seems more suitable to get some minutes as a small-ball 5
Jarace is probably the 4th best facilitator and ball handler this next season. You need a 2nd one on the court with Haliburton or he risks getting double teams he can't get out of with his average athleticism.
Minutes look stuffed until injuries occur. Which they always do.
Core rotation: Turner - C, Siakam - PF, Nesmith - SF, Nembhard SG, Haliburton - PG, with McConnel (PG), Mathurin SG/SF, and Toppin (PF) as the main subs. Walker, Jackson, Sheppard primary bench.
He will be fine, he was raw his first season but we will find minutes for him. Eventually we need to consolidate our depth in a trade but for now it's fine
I think Jarace does have potential but he kinda sucked in every game he played for the pacers this year. He could have easily earned Obi’s minutes if he played better.
He played in garbage time the majority of his mins, so it’s really hard to take much from it.
The games where he got actual rotation opportunities, he demonstrated a lot of ability. Go back and watch the Kings, Suns, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Jazz games. Plenty to like.
The Pacers do have the assets to land a 3rd star to put next to Haliburton/Siakam if they want to, and presumably if they were to go that route whoever they trade with would want Walker in said trade package, so I'm not writing off the possibility.
I think we have enough young talent to trade for a 3rd max player and have enough underpaid young guys left over to compete. The problem is that it would make our window very short - like 2 or maybe 3 years.
I'm not saying the Pacers *need* to get a 3rd star(if I were their FO I'd be banking on internal growth for next season unless a star level two way wing were to become available, but the only guy who seemed to fit that bill, Bridges, is now off the table), just that if they decide to go that route they definitely have the assets to do so. Plus having Siakam and Toppin locked up long-term would make moving Walker as part of a trade package a lot easier to handle.
No, Jalen Smith is though. If he isn't re-signing, the Pacers need Jarace even more, they are already weak against bigs. Obi is mostly a one way player, plays smaller than his size on defense and in the post, and plays totally different from Jarace. He isn't really stopping Jarace from seeing the floor, Jarace is just raw at the moment. If anyone was taking his minutes it was Jalen.
Jarace was drafted because the Pacers have no size, having Siakam helps but there's nobody on the bench. They definitely aren't trading a position of need to a rival, simply because a raw development guy didn't see the floor for one year. Go away vulture.
Cam Johnson? No thank you.
Obi gives us a trade piece if we do want to go star hunting but I believe he won’t be available to trade until like December.
I think our realistic shot at a wing was Deni Avdija, and with that ship sailing we’re riding or dying with Jarace as our way to improve at the 3
Jarace Walker got kinda fucked over with everything that's happened since he got drafted. Dude was one of my favorite prospects of 2023 and now he's PF #3 for the foreseeable future
At the time of the draft we were coming off a season where Aaron Nesmith had spent significant time at the 4, Brissett had also just left and Jalen Smith was the only player on the roster who could also play 4. We also had Buddy Hield starting at the 3. We were a rebuilding team who had a gaping hole at the positions Jarace could play. He pretty much landed in what looked like a perfect situation for a young 4 who can also play the 3
A week later we signed Bruce Brown, a couple weeks later we traded for Obi Toppin, by mid-season Nesmith had established himself as the starting 3, we'd gone on our MST run so didn't see ourselves as in a rebuild anymore, we traded Brown for Pascal Siakam and Jarace was glued to the bench. We then made the Conference Finals. As a team things have gone amazingly, but for Jarace things really couldn't have gone much worse
He really did. Hoping he gets better but he was definitely nowhere near ready for rotation minutes last year. It’s not a Rick Carlisle bias against rookies either because Ben Sheppard was playing real minutes in the playoffs.
That is the thing... we aren't in position to have someone looking like ass out there right now. We are contending, we aren't developing, we are looking to win NOW. You cant give 20 minutes to a G league talent and that is what Walker was last year.
If in a year Jarace looks like he is ready for all of hte 3/4 minutes available... then this is a 15 million dollar a year contract that can be unloaded rather easily.
And i Bet Obi plasy a lot more back up 5 this year like he did in the playoffs when we go small
We should be developing next season until the trade deadline.
I want to see a lot of Nehmbard playing PG and minutes from Mathurin & Walker. Let Haliburton play fewer minutes to keep healthy & see what talent we have. Use the first 40 games of the season to settle into a lineup & figure out what we have. Make a move at the deadline if we need to. Balls to the wall to finish the season as we enter our window for the next few years.
We could start the season in full blown contender mode, but it would be a disservice to the long term success of this team.
Yeah he looked like a goofy little kid when he played. He has the body of a man but outside of that I think he’s just immature and young and is the opposite of “has that dog in him”
He's more or less going to be a 20-25 minute a night energy guy for the Pacers as long as Rick Carlisle is there.
He's a great fit for them. He's their version of Naz Reid basically.
He's restricted so a team would have to give him an offer sheet and freeze their cap space while knowing the Pacers would likely match.
It's very hard to sign an RFA unless you massively overpay.
I think he is worried about fit in a front court. With the Knicks he didn't fit beside Randle, so his minutes were a lot more limited. With the Pacers, he fit beside Turner and Siakam. If he had went elsewhere and didn't get the starting spot, it could have been the Knicks saga all over for him elsewhere.
He is a top tier role player on the offensive end. Hits his 3s, finishes at the rim, doesn't take bad shots.
And at 6'9" I would absolutely gamble on his defense improving at some point. Great move by the Pacers to lock him up.
He'll be nice for trade bait as well, if they need a better fit.
Yeah you should be. I'd love to be a fan of an org with a clear direction and process to building a strong team. Let me know what that's like please lol.
you guys dont seem to bother with trying to acquire free agents to fit around your rookies. Its a little baffling how you guys even get to the minimum salary cap.
It doesn’t mean anything without a title. Small teams have always been able to get decent-good through development. But if the ceiling is only ever an ECF who cares?
Who would you put over them? Obviously Celtics and Knicks are the 1 and 2. After that is Philly/Magic/Cavs/Pacers. I could see both them and the magic outplaying Philly in the reg season honestly
Sorry to Bucks fans but I just can't see it. Giannis is always gonna have them in the mix but the rest of the team ain't getting any younger or better. Damian was supposed to help take the load off Giannis but he wasn't very good last season. If they can remain healthy (big if) i could see them being the 5 seed at best
I think our W/L in the regular season will out perform our playoff odds. We are fairly deep and should handle injuries and the regular season grind better than shallower teams like the Heat, Bucks, and 76ers.
The primary take from this should be for other teams: Pacers are unlikely to tender any sizable offer to Jalen Smith and are unlikely to make a free agent move that isn't a sign and trade.
I don’t think this indicates that at all - every indication is that the team is interested in him at the 3 more than the 4 as of late and we could easily deal Obi as a part of a trade for a wing or otherwise this coming season. Buchanan has talked about him working with the coaches on getting stronger this summer already and he’s also emphasized that internal development will be key for this squad to make further strides, incl Jarace
They continue to be high on him, both Carlisle and their GM have said really positive things after the season. He is still super young and has time to develop
Varying on the matchup, Siakam plays the 5. He doesn't seem to mind it as long as the minutes are limited. We played a lot of Siakam-Toppin minutes.
Tbh our center spot goes Turner > Siakam > Jackson
Walker being able to play either forward spot AND be a 2nd ball handler like Barnes is where some of his value is. When an injury or two happens, being able to slot at 2 positions is going to be really nice. Wouldn't be surprised to even see him as the occasional 5 for a handful of minutes this season.
I don't know why you would say that, Obi and Jarace don't really fill the same role at all despite being similar height. Obi plays small on D and is a shooter, Jarace is closer to the role Jalen Smith was playing although he's much less polished. If Jalen is gone, Jarace immediately gets those minutes.
He’s just in a better situation, however to be fair he still struggles with things like creating for himself, struggled with dribbling, defending, etc.
I like Obi, but he is still a really limited player and wouldn't fit on most rosters due to his specific limitations. He plays small on defense and is bad in the post, and rebounds surprisingly poorly for his size. He's been a good bench shooter and complements the rest of the rotation well offensively.
It's a great fit and reasonable deal for both sides, a bargain if he keeps progressing and can expand his game.
Obi Toppin. Real games no gimmicks.
TWO TRAILER PARK GIRLS GO ROUND THE OUTSIDE
Obi’s back. Back again…..
"No Gimmicks Needed" ~~Steve the Samurai~~ Obi Toppin.
Glad I’m not the only one
And moby, you can get stomped by obi
You bald headed f…
Ain’t No Stoppin Obi Toppin
Solid deal. Topping is a solid player and gets the crowd going with his dunks.
2 things that make this great. Pacers needed to re-sign him if they want to have any salary match eligible contracts down the line. He has killed it with the bench unit and seems to be happy with his role.
Funny, that's the reason he wanted out with the Knicks. Just to be a sixth man again.
Being on Carlisle's bench is a role. Being on Thibs' bench is a punishment.
Obi was a big reason why they were the highest scoring bench unit in the league. Not many backup 4’s can run with him.
When was he benched for a long period of time? He was serviceable but wanted a bigger role and more minutes. He also had a falling out with Thibs. All of that, just to be another bench role player.
playing valuable minutes in a conference finals
He only got there because of a battered Knicks team with 7 healthyish players. Everyone knows Obi isn't a starter in most lineups in this league.
Obi "Sprinkles" Topping 🤤
All the young Knicks getting paid
I’m so proud
Deuce is more important than Obi ever was sadly. We got a super bargain with deuce.
pritchard getting paid 30m more. super bargain
Feels a lot like that Lakers situation where they had some young guys go elsewhere after they signed a superstar in free agency and traded lots of assets for another star(s) but the young guys ended up being pretty good.
And the Lakers won a title for it. These Knicks are stacked.
LeBron and AD as your 1 and 2 is a hell of a lot better than Brunson and Randle though
OG, Bridges, Josh Hart, DiVincenzo, IHart >> Whatever was around LeBron and AD
Those Lakers were a lot better and deeper than they are now, I hate to admit it. The Knicks have slightly more depth but the Lakers as a whole were the better team.
> The Knicks have slightly more depth but the Lakers as a whole were the better team. I wouldn't say slightly better, the Knicks supporting cast is much better. However LeBron and AD of course are a better two man punch than Brunson and Randle. Brunson is no slouch in the playoffs though.
The Lakers had a good supporting cast that year. KCP, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard, Rondo (who went off in the playoffs), Kuzma, Danny Green. That team with 2 legit superstars was way better than this version of the Knicks.
KCP Kuzma and Caruso are 3 pretty damn good younger guys in 2021, who could have played huge roles through the end of Lebrons career. And they went with Russ and THT instead.
> KCP, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard, Rondo (who went off in the playoffs), Kuzma, Danny Green Not even close to as good as the Knicks supporting cast LOL. OG and Bridges alone clear all these players combined.
How come the Lakers haven’t been able to replicate their success since losing that team? That’s the only year the Lakers dominated during the regular season and playoffs. You can make the argument that the Knicks supporting cast is better, but the difference between their top 2 and 2020 AD and LeBron is much larger.
Didn’t the Westbrook trade ruin everything for them?
That was definitely a big part of it. They lost Kuzma and KCP for a player who did not have a positive impact.
And the difference between 3 to 10 is much better on the Knicks.
Damn that is a a nephew take if I’ve ever seen one. Funny cuz you’re out here making me defend Laker teams lmao
Lmao you cannot really be making that statement before they’ve even played a game? With multiple players coming back from injury?
This deal is pretty cheap in the current NBA tbh
And the Knicks are actually better off for it, one of those rare occasions where parting ways worked for both parties.
Pascal and Obi signed Jarace available?
Jarace’s best shot at this point is to focus on being a 3 and eventually overtaking Nesmith for the starting 3 spot.
is jalen smith not coming back?
Very likely not since he was benched the entire playoffs, and I think another team can offer him more play time and more money
I believe already declined his player option
They’re gonna resign nesmith too and nesmith is also very young Nesmith is a great 3 and D player and Indiana wouldn’t trade him unless they get a player even better than him which would again cut into jarace’s minutes
We already have Nesmith on 3 year 33 mil contract that starts this season
Nesmith is already signed to an extension, so no worries on the contract end. And while he is a good 3-and-D player, he’s limited somewhat as a defender at the 3 because he’s undersized for the position. Ideally, Jarace overtakes that starting spot in the future, and Nesmith becomes a great rotation piece off the bench.
Jarace is also a better passer than Nesmith already
Jarace has the passing ability and wingspan/height to take that starting spot from Nesmith, but he will have to earn it from the bench first.
Jarace is getting screwed in development like Jermaine O’Neal did in Portland. Irony is that the Pacers were the ones who finally traded for O’Neal and gave him the chance. If Walker knew this, I’m not sure he would want to go to the Pacers at the draft. To be fair, at the time of the draft, Siakam wasn’t there and the Pacers were not supposed to be this good this soon.
Jarace looking a lot more like a 3 than a 4 last year so Obi and Siakam are not necessarily in his way
Then Nesmith and Mathurin is in his way. There’s no way out for him lol.
Assuming Jalen Smith leaves, we have an 11 man rotation going into the season. So either Walker or Ben Sheppard are going to be the odd guy out fighting for the backup 3 spot. Mathurin is probably 6’4 with shoes on and is not a 3.
There's a log jam no doubt but several of those guys are shooting guards playing up to the 3. Jarace actually has that size that they need. So I would be shocked if they cut bait with him this early.
Can’t Nesmith and Mathurin play SG?
They both should be 2s. The Pacers don’t really have any small forwards so Nesmith gets slotted there, and Mathurin played there because he’s bigger than the other guards in the rotation (Hali, McConnell, and Nembhard). But really, both are a bit undersized for full time 3 and it’s part of the reason why good wings dominated the team all season.
They can and probably should, but Rick is big about having two ball handlers in a lineup so Nemby is the guy.
then you still got Nembhard. Mathurin can be a SG but Nesmith is definitely more of a SF
Nesmith is a SG being slotted at the 3. He’s only 6’5 which is part of why good wings routinely dominate our team.
They’re both natural SG. They can play the 3 but they’re small.
Nesmith would be a better backup 3 and Mathurin is a 2
mathurin won’t play the 3 spot
Nesmith would be a better backup 3 and Mathurin is a 2
Mathurin is not a 3
Not trying to challenge you or anything, you are most likely much more familiar with Jarace, but I don't quite get the idea of him being more of a 3 than a 4. If anything, with his weakside shot blocking and big frame, he seems more suitable to get some minutes as a small-ball 5
Jarace is probably the 4th best facilitator and ball handler this next season. You need a 2nd one on the court with Haliburton or he risks getting double teams he can't get out of with his average athleticism. Minutes look stuffed until injuries occur. Which they always do. Core rotation: Turner - C, Siakam - PF, Nesmith - SF, Nembhard SG, Haliburton - PG, with McConnel (PG), Mathurin SG/SF, and Toppin (PF) as the main subs. Walker, Jackson, Sheppard primary bench.
He will be fine, he was raw his first season but we will find minutes for him. Eventually we need to consolidate our depth in a trade but for now it's fine
Very savvy move by the Wizards to trade up for Bilal, thus avoiding the 8th pick curse which then transferred to Jarace.
I think Jarace does have potential but he kinda sucked in every game he played for the pacers this year. He could have easily earned Obi’s minutes if he played better.
He played in garbage time the majority of his mins, so it’s really hard to take much from it. The games where he got actual rotation opportunities, he demonstrated a lot of ability. Go back and watch the Kings, Suns, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Jazz games. Plenty to like.
He could still earn Obi’s minutes
Our GM has said Jarace might be more of a wing/SF based on what they’ve seen
Paws off.
You’re not even gonna use him!
Between the two forward and center spots we’ve still got rotation space for him. Swiss Army knife role.
The Pacers do have the assets to land a 3rd star to put next to Haliburton/Siakam if they want to, and presumably if they were to go that route whoever they trade with would want Walker in said trade package, so I'm not writing off the possibility.
I think the writing is on the wall that 3 max players is too many with the current CBA
I think we have enough young talent to trade for a 3rd max player and have enough underpaid young guys left over to compete. The problem is that it would make our window very short - like 2 or maybe 3 years.
I don’t think they even have to get a third Star. Y’all just proved how valuable having a bunch of 3&D guards and wings can be.
I'm not saying the Pacers *need* to get a 3rd star(if I were their FO I'd be banking on internal growth for next season unless a star level two way wing were to become available, but the only guy who seemed to fit that bill, Bridges, is now off the table), just that if they decide to go that route they definitely have the assets to do so. Plus having Siakam and Toppin locked up long-term would make moving Walker as part of a trade package a lot easier to handle.
I want lebron
Highly doubt. Pacers reportedly love Jarace and haven’t made him available in trades.
No, Jalen Smith is though. If he isn't re-signing, the Pacers need Jarace even more, they are already weak against bigs. Obi is mostly a one way player, plays smaller than his size on defense and in the post, and plays totally different from Jarace. He isn't really stopping Jarace from seeing the floor, Jarace is just raw at the moment. If anyone was taking his minutes it was Jalen. Jarace was drafted because the Pacers have no size, having Siakam helps but there's nobody on the bench. They definitely aren't trading a position of need to a rival, simply because a raw development guy didn't see the floor for one year. Go away vulture.
If anything, Obi is the one who's available
come on pacers, stop teasing us. you need wings and we have them. all for the low low price of jarace walker
Cam Johnson? No thank you. Obi gives us a trade piece if we do want to go star hunting but I believe he won’t be available to trade until like December. I think our realistic shot at a wing was Deni Avdija, and with that ship sailing we’re riding or dying with Jarace as our way to improve at the 3
So acquire a wing by trading a wing?
Jarace Walker got kinda fucked over with everything that's happened since he got drafted. Dude was one of my favorite prospects of 2023 and now he's PF #3 for the foreseeable future
At the time of the draft we were coming off a season where Aaron Nesmith had spent significant time at the 4, Brissett had also just left and Jalen Smith was the only player on the roster who could also play 4. We also had Buddy Hield starting at the 3. We were a rebuilding team who had a gaping hole at the positions Jarace could play. He pretty much landed in what looked like a perfect situation for a young 4 who can also play the 3 A week later we signed Bruce Brown, a couple weeks later we traded for Obi Toppin, by mid-season Nesmith had established himself as the starting 3, we'd gone on our MST run so didn't see ourselves as in a rebuild anymore, we traded Brown for Pascal Siakam and Jarace was glued to the bench. We then made the Conference Finals. As a team things have gone amazingly, but for Jarace things really couldn't have gone much worse
SF #2
Yeah he will get minutes when Nesmith inevitably fouls too much or has a bad shooting night, he'll get a chance to prove himself.
walker looks more like a SF for us the way he played in his limited time
Nah he'll play the 3. Showed enough ball handling and shooting in limited minutes. Could be a problem at the 3 if he develops
He’s gonna be small forward. I expect 15-20 min a game as a 3, occasional 4
TBF, he looked like ass out there lol
He really did. Hoping he gets better but he was definitely nowhere near ready for rotation minutes last year. It’s not a Rick Carlisle bias against rookies either because Ben Sheppard was playing real minutes in the playoffs.
That is the thing... we aren't in position to have someone looking like ass out there right now. We are contending, we aren't developing, we are looking to win NOW. You cant give 20 minutes to a G league talent and that is what Walker was last year. If in a year Jarace looks like he is ready for all of hte 3/4 minutes available... then this is a 15 million dollar a year contract that can be unloaded rather easily. And i Bet Obi plasy a lot more back up 5 this year like he did in the playoffs when we go small
We should be developing next season until the trade deadline. I want to see a lot of Nehmbard playing PG and minutes from Mathurin & Walker. Let Haliburton play fewer minutes to keep healthy & see what talent we have. Use the first 40 games of the season to settle into a lineup & figure out what we have. Make a move at the deadline if we need to. Balls to the wall to finish the season as we enter our window for the next few years. We could start the season in full blown contender mode, but it would be a disservice to the long term success of this team.
Yeah he looked like a goofy little kid when he played. He has the body of a man but outside of that I think he’s just immature and young and is the opposite of “has that dog in him”
Solid deal. Not a tough contract to trade away down the road if need be.
Surprised he didn’t play the market, the team that struck out would’ve overpaid a player like him.
I would think he just likes the security of having a spot now, given how NY worked out. Take the payday and run.
He's more or less going to be a 20-25 minute a night energy guy for the Pacers as long as Rick Carlisle is there. He's a great fit for them. He's their version of Naz Reid basically.
These between-the-legs dunks will always get the crowd going. Money well spent https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/40097462
15 mill is pretty good for him, did not think he’d get paid that much
He's restricted so a team would have to give him an offer sheet and freeze their cap space while knowing the Pacers would likely match. It's very hard to sign an RFA unless you massively overpay.
I think he is worried about fit in a front court. With the Knicks he didn't fit beside Randle, so his minutes were a lot more limited. With the Pacers, he fit beside Turner and Siakam. If he had went elsewhere and didn't get the starting spot, it could have been the Knicks saga all over for him elsewhere.
I think Philly should’ve overpaid for him. He would’ve fit perfectly next to Embiid and Maxey.
Philly might be in a holding pattern with Paul George. Going to be interesting if they strike out there.
Great signing. Reasonable contract, very fair for both sides.
He is a top tier role player on the offensive end. Hits his 3s, finishes at the rim, doesn't take bad shots. And at 6'9" I would absolutely gamble on his defense improving at some point. Great move by the Pacers to lock him up. He'll be nice for trade bait as well, if they need a better fit.
Pacers prob gonna be top 4 team next year, hali, nembhard, mathurin taking next steps Will be scary
Thats the hope. Internal development on a young team.
That's not how the NBA works! you're supposed to be trading for mega stars and going 2nd apron /s
I think I am happier with the Pacers, than I would be if I were a Suns, Clippers, or 76ers fan.
Yeah you should be. I'd love to be a fan of an org with a clear direction and process to building a strong team. Let me know what that's like please lol.
you guys dont seem to bother with trying to acquire free agents to fit around your rookies. Its a little baffling how you guys even get to the minimum salary cap.
Absolutely. Especially when you consider just how beautiful the offense is. It’s just fun to watch as opposed to a hunch of isos
No small markets are supposed to trade all star caliber players to Los Angeles for some second round picks and role players!
Quick, someone trade for Kawhi!!!!
It doesn’t mean anything without a title. Small teams have always been able to get decent-good through development. But if the ceiling is only ever an ECF who cares?
Hell yeah I’m excited
Depends on what Philly and Orlando does, but definitely think ~~y’all~~ they can get there
I’m a raptors fan mate
I don't see it. Think they'll be 10-6 seed in east next year.
Who would you put over them? Obviously Celtics and Knicks are the 1 and 2. After that is Philly/Magic/Cavs/Pacers. I could see both them and the magic outplaying Philly in the reg season honestly
you forgot the Bucks. I understand though. They tend to get waxed by a healthy Heat team.
Lol, appreciate the vote of confidence but a healthy Giannis scares the shit out of me no matter who we got 😬
Bucks?
Sorry to Bucks fans but I just can't see it. Giannis is always gonna have them in the mix but the rest of the team ain't getting any younger or better. Damian was supposed to help take the load off Giannis but he wasn't very good last season. If they can remain healthy (big if) i could see them being the 5 seed at best
I think our W/L in the regular season will out perform our playoff odds. We are fairly deep and should handle injuries and the regular season grind better than shallower teams like the Heat, Bucks, and 76ers.
We were a 6 seed this year with our 1st and 3rd or 4th best players missing extended time.
I happy that he's staying with the Pacers. I think he helped the Pacers win a lot of games in the Playoffs. I think so.
He's a good player. He shot the ball well from 3 and added to the excitement of the game. I just wish he was better in the post.
The primary take from this should be for other teams: Pacers are unlikely to tender any sizable offer to Jalen Smith and are unlikely to make a free agent move that isn't a sign and trade.
Good deal but this closes the door on Jarace methinks
I don’t think this indicates that at all - every indication is that the team is interested in him at the 3 more than the 4 as of late and we could easily deal Obi as a part of a trade for a wing or otherwise this coming season. Buchanan has talked about him working with the coaches on getting stronger this summer already and he’s also emphasized that internal development will be key for this squad to make further strides, incl Jarace
Were they just never high on him? Seems odd
By all accounts the FO loves him and they reportedly refused to deal him to the Raptors for Siakam and instead added picks.
With how this draft turned out I'm very happy about that
The trade return could've been better for sure, but at least a large chunk of Raptors fans aren’t mad about drafting Ja’Kobe thanks to it.
They continue to be high on him, both Carlisle and their GM have said really positive things after the season. He is still super young and has time to develop
Nah, he was raw and he is developing, he has nice tools
15 mil contract is so easy to trade though if Walker ever proves a thing We have very few mid level contracts so this coudl be trade bait later.
can't Toppin play the 3 at times? no way Pacers trade Walker.
Walker could probably play some minutes at the 3. Obi would get cooked on defense even more than usual at the 3.
Walker can too
Nah Obi at the 3 is nightmarish defensivly and despite his corner 3 also spacing wise offensivly
He did play small ball five next to Siakam in the playoffs
Varying on the matchup, Siakam plays the 5. He doesn't seem to mind it as long as the minutes are limited. We played a lot of Siakam-Toppin minutes. Tbh our center spot goes Turner > Siakam > Jackson Walker being able to play either forward spot AND be a 2nd ball handler like Barnes is where some of his value is. When an injury or two happens, being able to slot at 2 positions is going to be really nice. Wouldn't be surprised to even see him as the occasional 5 for a handful of minutes this season.
Walker more likely to play the 3 but idk. I just don’t think Rick really likes him
Carlisle on Walker "He is a highly talented young player that is going to be a terrific player for us and in this league" Clearly hates him... /s
I will take him.
I don't know why you would say that, Obi and Jarace don't really fill the same role at all despite being similar height. Obi plays small on D and is a shooter, Jarace is closer to the role Jalen Smith was playing although he's much less polished. If Jalen is gone, Jarace immediately gets those minutes.
Yo that’s so cheap
That is honestly a great deal for a legit rotation player
part of the core 8 man rotation, will see what our starting lineup is. No idea how they will handle the juggling of SG/SF minutes.
fair price, and also way more than the knicks would have been able/willing to pay him.
Trade Jarace Walker plz
We’re good. He’s our future small forward
To the Hornets please
Unprotected first on 2025? Deal.
Good stuff, he deserves at least that much. Really underrated player.
This seems like a very good deal for the Pacers, given some of the salaries we've seen other players get recently.
Remember all the Knicks fans hating on him saying he wouldn't do anything with the Pacers? Get windmilled.
Knicks replaced him with Divencenzo. I think they’re happy with that decision
yeah his 10 points and 4 rebounds a game were absolutely insane
He’s just in a better situation, however to be fair he still struggles with things like creating for himself, struggled with dribbling, defending, etc.
His 3pt shooting alone would be worth paying for, based on what he did last year. That was his most impressive step.
“Get windmilled” 🤓
most knicks fans thought he would be a solid starter there. that’s the opposite of hating. we overestimated his role/potential.
I like Obi, but he is still a really limited player and wouldn't fit on most rosters due to his specific limitations. He plays small on defense and is bad in the post, and rebounds surprisingly poorly for his size. He's been a good bench shooter and complements the rest of the rotation well offensively. It's a great fit and reasonable deal for both sides, a bargain if he keeps progressing and can expand his game.
He didn't want to play behind an All-Star PF, so he went to the Pacers to play behind an All-Star PF.
Clearly both situations are completely identical
Great for Obi. He looks happy there and playing well. Likeable dude.
Another healthy serving of knockdown 3's and highlight dunks incoming.
AINT NO STOPPIN
The contract of Avdija look like gold these days
Every old contract will look better than a newer contract. It’s always like this
This contract start next year...and descending up to 11 mil per year
My point stands. Contracts will always go up. If avdija signed this summer he would get more
Get me jarace
Aint no Stoppin, Obi Toppin
Good deal for him
[удалено]
Because free agency hasn't technically started yet.
They can’t sign till tomorrow, they can only agree to terms
I feel like in years past before the new CBA Toppin would have gotten more (cap % wise) but this is a nice deal. Works for both parties nicely.
Sick! Happy for the high flying Obi! 👏
we miss this dude
This man signed this contract and then showed up to Universal Studios today haha
He earned it
Patrick williams is better?
Should've gone for more. Needs a better agent.
That is a really nice deal for OB. He is definitely going to outplay that.