The Indian Pacers are now down to three (but really four) centers, but it still hardly feels like the team has found an answer there just yet.
I want to tell you I have some BIG thoughts on this, but much like things with the Pacers right now, everything is a bit of a mess.
When we’re talking centers, that means Jay Huff, Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman, Tony Bradley, and Jarace Walker. There had been lineups with two of them in, but in these limited sample sizes, it makes more sense to call Walker a center when he was in the most used lineup and played the most minutes there as a closer, despite being considered a forward on NBA.com. 1
Bradley, Huff, and Walker have ultimately played the most minutes so far this season, and rightly so. Wiseman was unable to find a way to contribute and waived to create a roster spot. Huff has been what he was in Memphis: a backup level center. To Huff’s credit, at least, his 3-point shooting (3 of 12) is down from his career 40% average from deep, so his production is likely to improve. At least he’s dunking the ball, but no reverse dunks yet.
But back to Bradley, Jackson, and Walker, and them being exactly what one might expect.
Bradley offers a high-floor, steadying presence. His savvy on defense allows the Pacers to stay in games, but his rebounding and scoring aren’t enough to alter the outcome.
Walker, at 22 years old, represents potential. He’s averaged around 40% from deep in his career, but he is taking more and making fewer of them this year at a dreadful 28.6%. His 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game hint at more all-around contributions, but some of his turnovers and miscues remind you he is 22 years old and still finding his way as a player.
Jackson also falls into the category, as despite this being his fifth NBA season, he is only 23 years old. Though he has been a starter in most games, his minutes are just behind Huff and Bradley. Unfortunately, he is a fouling machine at 10.8 per 36 minutes according to NBA.com, and that’s why his usage by coach Rick Carlisle remains limited. A work in progress for sure.
Really, the options going forward for a starter, or at least as to who is playing the most important and critical minutes, are Bradley and Walker. Huff and Bradley played significant minutes, but it was a lineup with Walker that closed out the game.
That happened because Walker posted a 20-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist stat line. The shooting was a bit of a mixed bag as he was 5 of 19 (eek!) from the field, 4 of 10 from deep, and a solid 6 of 7 from the foul line.
Walker’s assists weren’t empty stats though, though all were to his fellow bigs who were playing center at the time. He got two by driving the ball to the basket and forcing the Mavericks’ defense to collapse on him, another two with over-the-top passes to Huff and Jackson, and a final one by seeing a trailing Huff at the top of the arc.
The minutes down the stretch were his alone, though, and he played some of his best basketball as he was 3 of 6 (with a pair of 3-pointers) and pickpocketed Dallas three times.
Indiana fell just one shot short of a comeback win, but it appears that coach Carlisle’s trust is in having Walker on the floor when it matters most. He can take a little pressure off Pascal Siakam, though Dallas showed that until a real second option emerges, doubling the Cameroonian All-Star is the way to win games.
Everything is Small Sample-Size Theater right now, but it’s two to one in competitive games that Indiana has elected to play Walker down the stretch. Excuse the sorting method there on NBA.com, but Walker by far has played the most ‘clutch’ time so far among the bigs.
A graph of the Pacers rotation from courtsketch.com/rotations. " data-medium-file="https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=723" loading="lazy" width="723" height="482" src="https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=723" alt class="wp-image-17912" srcset="https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=723 723w, https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=150 150w, https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=300 300w, https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=768 768w, https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png?w=1024 1024w, https://ipacers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/chart.png 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px">
A graph of the Pacers’ rotation from courtsketch.com.
Until something truly settles, it is worth paying more attention to who plays when and why, not who starts the game or even plays the most minutes.
Let’s just note that the data here is chaotic through the four games. Walker’s 11 minutes with that particular lineup were only on opening night after Jackson started the game. There have been some games where you have two of them playing, like when Jackson and Walker started together in Dallas, but that was only for a short amount of time and the starter ended up with the least minutes.
Thanks to injuries, only six matching lineups have appeared in two games, none in all four. ↩︎