Exit Interviews: The Bosses

On Monday, the Pacers launched into the offseason by conducting exit interviews with the players. As part of that process, the entire team was made available to the media, including head coach Rick Carlisle and President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard.

Over the next week I'll do breakdowns of each player, addressing how their seasons went, what they had to say in their exit interview, and what to expect going forward. But today, I want to start with the bosses, who spoke at length on where the franchise is headed.

Expectations for Next Year

Regardless of what happens in the draft and free agency, the Pacers brass is expecting the team to make a significant leap next season. Both Carlisle and Pritchard spoke about the organic growth they expect from the players on the roster, with Pritchard suggesting that increasing the win total by ten games seems reasonable. This confidence stems from the belief that the amount of reps the young players received this year will pay dividends going forward.    

Pritchard also explained that the front office studies other successful teams in the league and brought up Cleveland as an example of a rebuild they'd like to emulate. While it took the Cavs "3 or 4 years," Pritchard allowed for the possibility that the maturity of Tyrese Haliburton and Benn Mathurin will allow the Pacers to jump two steps at a time. For example, he felt the team was a legitimate contender for the fourth or fifth seed in the East before Haliburton went down in January. Even so, he cautioned against setting any expectations until after free agency.

While Carlisle was optimistic, he made a point to say that jumps don't just happen – the team needs to learn humility from these losing seasons. I find this point especially resonant with New Orleans, Minnesota, and Atlanta in the play-in and Dallas eliminated entirely. Just because you're young and enjoy success one year, nothing is guaranteed the next year. Carlisle suggested that to continue growing, the entire organization needs to maintain positive vibes, something that it had in spades this year.

So where is the growth going to come from?

Development on Defense

Unsurprisingly, both Pritchard and Carlisle identified defense as the area where the team must improve if they want to take the next step. In Pritchard's view, even getting to middle of the pack defensively will lead to dramatic increase in wins given the efficiency of the offense.

He said that up to this point, they've intentionally implemented a style that prioritizes offense in an attempt to bolster the confidence of their young team. However, he believes that they've reached a point where they have enough offensive firepower to switch the focus to other end of the floor.

Management spent so much time speaking about defensive improvement in the exit interviews that word got around and players began to come in prepared. Carlisle said everyone on the team was challenged to get stronger and bring more attitude next year. He even challenged his coaching staff to get better at scheming and teaching defense over the summer.

Pritchard specifically mentioned Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield as players that he challenged. He framed it as wanting Haliburton to get his defense "up to par" so that he could hold others accountable. In his view, the best teams have "good conflict" in the locker room and he wants Haliburton to be able to challenge his teammates. He doesn't necessarily expect them to be great next year but he believes it can happen over the course of a few seasons.

When asked what the team needs to do to be better defensively, Carlisle identified fouling less and better rebounding as the keys. Both Pritchard and Carlisle acknowledged the difference one or two new players could make in accomplishing those goals, but, again, they stressed that they expect some internal development.

After a question about Turner and Jackson's prolific blocks numbers, Pritchard pivoted to talking about point of attack defense, saying that he wants the bigs to have less opportunities for blocks. He said that they'll look for help in free agency but also credited Nesmith and Nembhard for their work this year. The team expects them to get better defensively as they get older, specifically as they learn their opponents' tendencies and how to adjust to how referees are calling a game.  

Pritchard veered a bit into nostalgia talking about Pacers teams of the past who could win ugly because of their defense. He acknowledged that the game has changed but he still wants to bring some of that back. He believes George Hill did a great job helping the point guard group get smarter defensively, noting that he was elite on that end in his prime.

Upgrading the Four

The big hole on the roster is at forward according to Carlisle, Pritchard, and everyone else. Carlisle described what they are looking for as a "four-man" who is 6'8/6'9, has length, guards multiple positions, shoots threes, and makes plays. Of course, he admitted, the whole league wants that and supply is limited.

Pritchard explained that they classify players into six positions: guards, combos, wings, hybrids, power forwards, and centers. He said they are focusing on acquiring power forwards and hybrids, but like Carlisle, acknowledged that all 29 other teams are after the same thing.

He also spoke about the power forwards on the roster, with the common theme being that they lack the necessary defensive ability. He commended Nesmith for doing an "honorable job" at power forward but said he's "not sure [Nesmith] is a starter yet." Regarding Nwora, the team feels he solidified himself as a good backup who can "score with ease", but again, they aren't sure "what he is yet." Pritchard believes the four position is involved in too many defensive actions to start offensive specialists.  

Picks or Players?

Since Pritchard took over the front office, the word "optionality" has been a buzzword and he said they'd be open and nimble this summer. In fact, the team has conducted studies on when they make good vs bad decisions. They've found that they make their best decisions when they keep their minds open and are willing to audible at last moment. He was clearly referring to the Haliburton trade, which leads me to believe it came together quickly and out of nowhere.

If the remark about emulating Cleveland wasn't enough of a hint, Pritchard repeatedly mentioned packaging picks and cap space in order to be aggressive in the trade market. He even acknowledged that they made big offers at the trade deadline, the likes of which they have never made before. He seemed a bit disappointed that the amount of picks it costs to complete a trade is at an all time high. Don't be surprised if they trade picks this year for multiple future picks in order to be able to make a godfather offer for a star.

According to Carlisle, they like the talent at the top of the draft but, after that, they feel anybody they take will need development and is unlikely to help the team next year. This aligns with Pritchard's comment that they aren't looking to bring in 5 more young players this offseason.

In fact, they seem to feel the second unit is more or less set. Pritchard was very clear that the goal this summer is to acquire high level starters. He went as far as to say he's "obsessed" with assembling a core.

He also commented that they need to strike a balance between adding players who raise your floor and those who raise your ceiling. They constantly discuss “how do we keep our ceiling high?” They know that approach may take more time but they don’t want to limit upside. Ideally they would add guys who raise the floor and ceiling simultaneously, but those are the top players in the league.

Future of the Vets

While Pritchard didn't get into much detail about who will be back and who won't, he did drop a few hints.

Buddy Hield is very clearly someone that everybody in the organization loves. Pritchard went as far as to call Buddy "an incredible human" and said that he was emotional at the end of the season when they couldn't get Buddy his first playoff experience.

Having said that, Pritchard also made it clear that Buddy will have to adjust if he wants a role on the team going forward. When talking about defense, he said that if Buddy gets better, "he can be a part of this, if not, it will be tough." Later, when asked about potentially extending Buddy, Pritchard said that while he loves him off the court, they need to "define his role next year" and if they can mutually agree on that, the team is not opposed to extending him. The only logical interpretation of that comment is that they want to transition Buddy to the bench and whether or not he accepts that role will determine his future on the team.

Regarding James Johnson and George Hill, Pritchard similarly raved about them as humans, but bluntly said that "they are not July 1 deals, they are July 10 deals." In other words, if they have open roster spots, those guys might come back.

The Tyrese Effect

Wherever this team goes from here, Tyrese Haliburton will be at the wheel. Both Carlisle and Pritchard spoke about the fact that they consider Haliburton a "partner in the franchise." You get the sense that the team feels it hit the lottery. Other than Haliburton's defensive shortcomings, the Pacers brass speaks about Tyrese almost reverentially.

Pritchard said he's never been around a more empathetic, magnanimous, community focused player. Apparently Tyrese connects with everyone he comes across, from ball boys to CEOs. He radiates positive energy and they aren't going to let him get away any time soon.

Moreover, while Pritchard admitted that they've struggled in the past to convince players to sign in Indy, he thinks the tides are turning. He's already had players come to him and say they want to play with Tyrese.  

Not only will Tyrese be out recruiting this summer, he'll be giving his input on roster decisions. Tyrese is a basketball junkie and the team trusts his judgment. Pritchard was clear that they won't put too much pressure on him – final decisions will rest with KP – but Tyrese will have the opportunity to chime in on all major decisions.

Links to the interviews are below if you want it from the horse's mouth.