Indiana Pacers VP of Player Personnel breaks down the Pacers 2024 NBA Draft thinking and approach

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers haven’t had a draft like their 2024 setup in ages, and maybe ever. They have three draft picks, which is something only seven teams can say. But they are the only one of those seven franchises that doesn’t have a first-round choice. They’ll be busy, but not until later in the proceedings.

That will make the Pacers 2024 NBA Draft peculiar. They are limited in terms of top-end assets, but they have many paths to pursue as they try to improve their long-term outlook. Without a ton of open space on their roster, Indiana will have unique draft nights next week.

“Our approach always stays the same. We prepare all year for the whole draft, pick one to even undrafted guys,” Pacers VP of player personnel Ryan Carr said on Thursday. “In terms of process, in terms of how we go about our work, it really doesn’t change. We take pride in being prepared.”

The Pacers traded their first-round selections in the upcoming draft to acquire Pascal Siakam, which worked out tremendously. But they still have the 36th pick as well as picks 49 and 50 to get value. They’ve had success near the top of the second round before, including choosing Andrew Nembhard and trading up from 31 to 22 to acquire Isaiah Jackson.

This is the first time that they haven’t had a top-30 selection since 2020, when they walked away from the NBA Draft with Cassius Stanley at pick 54. Prior to that, it hadn’t happened since 2014. In both 2020 and 2014, the Pacers had just one pick.

This time around, Indiana has three. They’ll try to do what they can with them, and that might include taking an experienced college player. The blue and gold brought in a ton of players for draft workouts who spent several years in the NCAA ranks, and as Carr explained, more experienced players tend to be drafted in the range that Indiana has their selection(s). That, combined with players still having extra NCAA eligibility due to COVID-19 rules, led to an older batch of prospects for workouts in Indianapolis.

Carr loves players who are coachable. He wants to figure out during workouts if a prospect knows how to play or not. Those are a key part of his evaluations, as are some important specific skills. “Guys that can shoot the ball, guys that can play hard. You’re looking for something that will get each one of them in the league and stick in the league,” he said.

Part of what will help players stick in Indiana specifically is their ability to fit into an up-tempo style. Indiana plays fast, and that became a part of their pre-draft workouts. Draft hopefuls had to run through transition drills and execute in a high-speed environment. If a prospect can’t perform in the style that they would play with the Pacers, they aren’t a good fit.

That is just one of the many ways that the Pacers are “trying to add to,” — as Carr said — their success from last season. They want players who can boost their identity and be a culture fit. That is as important as anything for a franchise that is shifting from development mode to a winning focus.

In some circles, this is considered a weaker draft in terms of prospect quality. Past drafts with the same designation have produced terrific players, though, and Carr doesn’t necessarily believe in that notion this year. “There will always be good NBA players that come out of every single draft,” he said. “It’s our job to figure out who those guys are and get them on our team.”

Between two-way contract slots, the second-round pick exception, the two-night draft, and draft rights becoming slightly more important trade chips under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the NBA Draft has changed a ton in recent seasons. It’s always important to nail it, and the Pacers will hope to do so again. They’ve acquired some successful players in recent drafts, and two of them — Ben Sheppard and Nembhard — were in the rotation during the postseason this year.

Carr wants to add players like that. “More of what we have,” he said when asked what he hopes to acquire in the draft this season. The selections will kick off next week as the draft starts on June 26. Barring a trade, the Pacers won’t make their first selection until the next day, but they’ll be as prepared as anyone when the time comes.