ESPN released their yearly top 100 NBA player rankings this week, and the Indiana Pacers had a familiar group of three names make the list. Their trio of players who averaged over 17 points per game last season all made the cut.
The Pacers players named in the top 100 were Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, and Pascal Siakam. Last year, Indiana also had three players make the list in Haliburton, Turner, and sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who is now with the Golden State Warriors.
The top 100 list is designed to project production for the 2024-25 season only. Turner is the lowest ranked Pacer to make the list this season. He landed in 81st after being 65th last year. The 10-year pro averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 2023-24 and had a productive playoffs as Indiana reached the Eastern Conference Finals, yet his placement dropped significantly. The Texas product fits extremely well with other stars on his team.
Pascal Siakam is the next ranked Pacer, who comes in at 42nd. Entering last season, Siakam was with the Toronto Raptors and came in at 25th. He averaged 21.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the blue and gold, including similar numbers in the postseason. He’s a deadly mid-range player who fills an important role as the Pacers’ four man. With a training camp under his belt, a big season could be coming his way, yet it is interesting that he fell 17 spots in the ranking.
Haliburton tops all Pacers players by being 16th on ESPN‘s top 100 players for the coming season. That’s a slight jump from being 21st a season ago, and Haliburton has a chance to improve even more given his age and summer spent with stars on Team USA.
He averaged 20.1 points and a league leading 10.9 assists per game last season. ESPN‘s top-10 players list, which features links to the full rankings, can be found here.