The Indiana Pacers rode their depth to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. As their team has gotten healthier, it’s becoming a huge strength once again.
The Pacers led the NBA in bench scoring last season with 46.8 points per game. This year they’re seventh, with 38.8 per game, but that’s a result of Bennedict Mathurin starting the majority of his games this season, due to injuries to Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. With those two wings back, Mathurin and Obi Toppin might be the best bench scoring duo in the league.
Wednesday night, the two combined for 59 points in a 134-130 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards, a stunning total for two players who didn’t start the game. They each shot 11-of-19, putting up seven combined points in OT. Neither started, but both closed the game.
That’s in part due to Myles Turner’s injury and partly due to the unique strengths each player brings. Toppin isn’t a conventional defensive center, but he shoots 35.6 percent from three-point range and is a strong rebounder. Mathurin is the best on the team at getting to the foul line, thanks to his relentless movement and cutting, which seems to tire out defenders late in games.
The bench figures to get even better when center Myles Turner returns. That will give Indiana a bench unit with Mathurin (16.6 points, 5.7 rebounds), Toppin (10.3 points, 4.1 boards), Thomas Bryant (7.9 points, 37.1 percent three-point percentage), T.J., McConnell (9.8 points, 4.6 assists against 1.5 turnovers) and 23-year-old Ben Sheppard (37.3 percent on threes). That’s not even including power forward Jarace Walker, the No. 8 pick from 2023 who’s emerged as a three-point threat in his second season.
In the playoffs, rotations get shorter, but the Pacers have the luxury of mixing and matching lineups, thanks to having at least 10 quality players. It also helps them keep players like Nesmith, Nembhard and Tyrese Haliburton fresh. Last year, the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in part due to attrition as the Knicks, who were playing heavy minutes, simply wore down over the seven games.
Indiana may not have the star power of some of its conference rivals. But being the deepest team in the East could make it very dangerous come playoff time.
