Pacers 2024 pre-draft workout attendees
The Pacers' big move this year was acquiring Pascal Siakam. Now they have three Day 2 picks. My annual rundown of which prospects were brought in ahead of the two-day draft June 26-27.
This 2024 NBA Draft is different for many reasons.
First, it’s different because the Indiana Pacers don’t own a first-round pick after selecting in the lottery in each of the last three years. Also, their push to the conference finals for the first time in a decade kept the focus and attention on the basketball rather than the what-ifs and future possibilities.
By all accounts, it’s a weaker draft and without a consensus top overall pick. That’s drastically different than the previous NBA (Victor Wembanyama) and WNBA (Caitlin Clark) draft. We knew for months who was going No. 1.
And fourth, it is a two-day event for the first time.
On Wednesday, the NBA is hosting night one at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as usual, in primetime. Then on Thursday, it’ll move to ESPN’s Seaport studio for the second round — and starting at 4 p.m. ET, in consideration for the polarizing presidential debated scheduled in the evening.
The Pacers have three selections, all in the second round: 36, 49, 50.
“I think in that range tends to be more experienced players,” Pacers VP of Player Personnel Ryan Carr said after pre-draft workouts concluded last week. “… Also, you're still dealing with the COVID years that the NCAA allows.
“We're looking for guys that are coachable, that know how to play, that are gonna get better, guys that can shoot the ball, guys that play hard. You’re looking for something that'll get each one of them in the league and stick in the league.”
Most of all, they’ll value experience/basketball IQ, defense and shooting.
No matter when the team is on the clock, their process remains the same. The scouting department has been watching and evaluating some of these prospects for more than three years.