What Should the PACERS Do? | Breaking Down The BIG 4 | 2026 NBA Draft
Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) breaks down what the Indiana Pacers should do if they were to land a Top 4 pick and keep their pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
0:00 Intro
2:42 Darryn Peterson & AJ Dybantsa
13:36 Caleb Wilson A Wildcard to IND?
21:41 Could Cameron Boozer be the best fit?
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7 Comments
The Pacers should stop bullshitting. No one believes they went from first to worst over the loss of one player.
Let’s be real we all know the pacers aren’t getting a top 4 pick especially after them tanking, openly questioning the NBA integrity’s of the league & getting fined?
We want AJ
What do you see as the Pacer rotation with Boozer? He could start at 4 with Siakam at 3. He could backup Siakam at 4 with Obi either being traded or moved to backup 5. AJ or Wilson could be a 3 which is an easier fit. Peterson doesn't displace Nembhard in my mind so if we are picking first, I'd hope someone in 2-4 would want to trade up for him.
It’s an extremely unique situation the pacers are in. They’ll obviously take whoever’s available if they pick fourth but if they pick first they need to realize that this championship window they have is fragile and may never come back around for a long time. All 4 are so talented and the pacers have the luxury of being picky. They need to pick the guy who doesn’t have expectations of being the franchise player from day 1 and pick the guy with the ability to fit in, have a great attitude and accept the role Rick Carlisle has for him before easing into that franchise player he can become as Siakam and Haliburton get older. For that reason I think they should target AJ. Seems like a true professional and has a great attitude.
My ideal for the Pacers is Darryn Peterson. He is the perfect guard to partner with Haliburton.
To put him in Pacers terms, he's Nembhard + Reggie combined with all the sliders set to max. Ballhandler, shooter, defender, the perfect partner to maximize Haliburton, and Haliburton in turn would maximize him as well.
Just want to see Dort try to full court press + faceguard Haliburton in the playoffs when he can just pass it to Darryn Peterson to run a 4v4 with Siakam + Zubac. All the sudden its not as appealing of an option.
Regardless if the pacers get a top 4 pick or not they will be just as good or better than before his injury when haliburton returns. Zubac is better than turner . Turner played great some days and terrible some days . Zubac plays great all the time . The pacers may start slow when hali comes back till he gets broke in again but they will be contenders whether we get a top pick or not . We have a lot to look forward to . As long as they stay healthy next yr there gonna be amazing .