Kevin Pritchard

Wheat Hotchkiss

Pacers President of Basketball Operations spoke with reporters following the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery.

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Kevin Pritchard Media Availability (May 16, 2023)

The 2022-23 Pacers season may not have ended with a playoff appearance, but there’s no doubt that the Blue & Gold took significant strides forward. Indiana improved from 25 wins in 2021-22 to 35, saw significant development from up and down its young roster, and heads into the offseason with an optimistic outlook.

“I thought it was a very positive year in many ways,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said in his end-of-season press conference on Monday. “We’ve established a style, a culture. We’ve established the importance of team. We’ve won a lot of our fans back.

“We know we’ve got a long way to go to get to where we want to go, but it’s been a very productive year.”

Heading into the season, Carlisle and Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard met to outline their goals for this season. Pritchard, addressing the media on Tuesday afternoon, harkened back to that meeting,

“I think the first thing that came up is we wanted to have a fun style of basketball,” Pritchard said. “We wanted these guys to come in and play open and free…We really wanted to get our players playing on a high level on the offensive end.”

If that was the primary goal for this season, then mission accomplished. The Pacers established themselves as one of the most exciting teams in the league on the offensive end, thanks in large part to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

In his first full season in Indiana, Haliburton blossomed into an All-Star. He averaged 20.7 points and 10.4 assists over 56 games, shooting 49 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. Haliburton – who just turned 23 last month – shattered the franchise record for assists per game and became the first player in NBA history to average 20 points and 10 assists while shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.

With Haliburton leading the point of attack, so many players on the Pacers roster enjoyed the most offensive success of their careers.

Myles Turner, the full-time center for the first time in five years, averaged a career-best 18 points per game and broke Reggie Miller’s franchise record for true shooting percentage. Buddy Hield broke another of Miller’s records, knocking down a career-best 288 threes. T.J. McConnell, with his relentless energy, proved to be the ideal backup to Haliburton, keeping the pace up and showing off an improved shooting stroke.

It wasn’t just the veterans that flourished in Indiana’s high-octane offense. Rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin was one of the league’s top scorers off the bench. Fellow rookie Andrew Nembhard started over 60 games. Aaron Nesmith and Jordan Nwora made the most of increased opportunities after being acquired in trades with championship-contending rosters. And other young players like Isaiah Jackson, Jalen Smith, and Chris Duarte had strong showings at different points throughout the season.

Haliburton said that the biggest success this season was the Pacers establishing a clear offensive identity where any time they took the floor, “we (knew) we could score against anybody.”

Backup big man Daniel Theis referenced talking with opposing players after back-to-back road wins in Boston and Miami just before Christmas and having those players marvel at Indiana’s pace and free-flowing offense.

“It’s impossible to scout you guys,” Theis recalled them saying.

The Pacers have so much firepower on offense, but as the players filed through the Ascension St. Vincent Center for exit interviews on Monday to meet with coaches and the front office, there was one consistent theme – they must improve defensively.

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Kevin Pritchard End of Season Media Availability

The Blue & Gold ranked 26th in the NBA this season in defensive rating, allowing 117.1 points per 100 possessions. They were 26th in opponent 3-point percentage (.373), 27th in points in the paint allowed (53.7 points per game), and 29th in second-chance points (15.4 per contest).

While Turner has established himself as one of the league’s best rim protectors, the Pacers struggled to keep players in front of them on the perimeter. The message in exit interviews was clear – everyone on the roster needs to dedicate themselves to improving on the defensive end this summer.

What that means may vary from player to player. For instance, Mathurin said that his biggest focus is on becoming a better defender off the ball, working on his communication and trying to limit mental lapses. Haliburton considers off-ball defense and jumping passing lanes to be his strength, but knows he needs to spend time in the weight room to get stronger so that he can be better built to battle with bigger guards.

Pritchard said he will be looking for players who can help defensively at the point of attack in the draft and free agency, but also expressed optimism that the young players on Indiana’s roster will demonstrate “organic improvement” on the defensive end next season.

“When we’ve had deep playoff runs, we had a defensive culture,” Pritchard said. “…The game has changed. You have to put it in the hole. But I think we’re going to become such a dynamic offensive team with Ty and what we put around him. If we can just go from 26th (in defensive rating) to 15th and then 15 to 10, keeping that offense, you project that out a little bit and you realize, man, it’s not as far away as we think.”

It promises to be an active summer for Pritchard and the front office. One of the main priorities will be Haliburton, who is eligible to sign an extension on his rookie contract this summer. While negotiations haven’t started yet, both parties did not exhibit any stress about a deal getting done, with Pritchard insisting “Ty is our guy.”

“I’ve never been around a more complete, empathetic, understanding of what the real world is, loving, taking care of the small people, truly committed to community leader like him,” Pritchard said. “I’ve never seen it. I’ve never seen a connector like Tyrese ever. Like ever. He connects with our ball boys, he connects with the president or the CEO of some company. He just has this ability to make people feel comfortable around him.”

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Tyrese Haliburton End of Season Media Availability

The Pacers have just three free agents on the 15-man roster – long-time veterans George Hill and James Johnson as well as fourth-year forward Oshae Brissett. But the Blue & Gold will have five picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, including their own likely top-10 pick (pending the results of the NBA Draft Lottery on May 16), two late first-rounders acquired in trades from Cleveland and Boston, and two second-round selections.

Pritchard made clear on Tuesday that “I don’t want to bring in five young kids to this organization.” He and the front office have run lots of models as to how the offseason could unfold and will continue to do so over the next two months leading up into the draft. Pritchard said there are “almost infinite models” when it comes to potential moves.

“I think there’s some opportunities for us to look at our draft picks and cap space and maybe put a bunch together and make big packages and go after some players,” he said. “Now I can’t say for sure that’s going to get done, but I want to be really creative with how we go after the right players.

“I think we’ll be pretty aggressive in the market place. I think I told you guys we made some big offers at the trade deadline. Quite frankly, I’m itchy. I’m a little itchy. We have this unique player Tyrese who has maybe put us way ahead of schedule. We won 25 games, we won 35 games. Can we get to 45? Can we take that to a bigger team?”

Pritchard said that he has and will continue to consult with Haliburton when it comes to potential offseason acquisitions. He also believes that Haliburton can be a valuable recruiter in free agency, both with his ability to make other players better on the court as well as his infectious personality.

Before turning the page completely to the offseason, Pritchard couldn’t help but reflect on the 2022-23 Pacers, insisting “Of my 30 years in the league, I’ve never been around a more fun (team).”

“This team was so fun to be around,” Pritchard said. “And I wanted them to get a taste of the playoffs, but I’m not sure that it was the right thing (for the franchise in the long-term).”

The Pacers have now missed the playoffs the past three seasons, but don’t expect that drought to last much longer. Being around this year’s team only reinforced his belief that the Blue & Gold deserve to return to the postseason.

“As a goal, I really want to get this team in the playoffs,” Prichard said “…I want it for our organization, I want it for our community. But when you’re around a really good group of kids, you just want it to happen because they deserve it, because they’re doing the right thing, because they came in and they worked hard and they came together and they were for each other.”

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Rick Carlisle End of Season Media Availability

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Pacers Hope to Build on This Season's Successes

April 11, 2023 - Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard spoke with media following the 2022-23 season.

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard spoke with media following the 2023 NBA trade deadline.

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Kevin Pritchard Press Conference: Feb. 10, 2023

Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard speaks with reporters following the NBA Draft Lottery, where the Pacers landed the No. 6 overall pick for the 2022 Draft.

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Kevin Pritchard Post-Lottery Media Availability

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Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard spoke with the media from Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon after making three deals ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

You can watch an archive of the stream of Pritchard's press conference in the video player above.

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Watch Live: Kevin Pritchard Press Conference - Feb. 11, 202w

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard addressed the media via Zoom for his annual postseason press conference on Monday afternoon.

Pritchard reflected on the 2020-21 season, a challenging campaign that he said felt like several different seasons because of all the moving parts, from navigating the NBA's new health and safety protocols, to the myriad injuries that besieged the Pacers' roster, to the midseason trade of Victor Oladipo for Caris LeVert and LeVert's Pacers debut being delayed due to surgery to remove renal cell carcinoma from his left kidney.

Ultimately, Indiana finished the season 34-38 and participated in the NBA's new Play-In Tournament, defeating Charlotte in the first game before losing to Washington and coming just short of advancing to the playoffs.

"All in all, we had some individual performances that we really liked, but we didn't win as many games as we wanted," Pritchard said. "We wanted to be in the playoffs."

"We knew that there was going to be some challenging times. What I liked from then on out was we had some players really step into some roles that we weren't expecting and really flourish and blossom. We knew Myles (Turner) was a great defender, he ended up with the (most) blocks per game in the NBA, so that was one. Malcolm (Brogdon) statistically had a phenomenal year. (Domantas) Sabonis towards the end of the year was a triple-double machine and was literally carrying the offensive load for us. You look at our bench — T.J. McConnell almost led the league in steals and Doug (McDermott) by all measurement had a career year.

As the teams enters the offseason, Pritchard shared the front office's mindset heading into a busy summer.

"We're looking at everything," Pritchard said. "We just finished the player exit meetings. We feel like we know this team, we're getting to know the players. I think the theme of the players was we have some talent, but at the end of the day, we've got to get on the court and see that talent play out."

The Pacers will be in the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time since 2015. They have the 13th-best odds in the lottery, which will take place on June 22 and determine the exact position of their first-round draft pick. Indiana also owns two second-round picks in the draft.

Much of the Pacers' roster is under contract for next season, but a few key players will be free agents this summer, including McConnell and McDermott. Both are coming off the best statistical seasons of their careers.

McConnell averaged 8.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 55.9 percent from the field, all career highs. McDermott averaged a career-best 13.6 points per game on 53.2 percent shooting from the field and 38.8 percent from 3-point range.

Both McConnell and McDermott expressed their love for the organization in exit interviews with the media. Pritchard also remained open to bringing them back, but acknowledged both should have several suitors on the open market.

"They're core to what we've done," Pritchard said. "They're two feet in on the Pacers...It sure was special for me to watch those guys blossom. Quite frankly, we don't win 34 games if those guys aren't playing well."

"They both stepped up and proved that they are important NBA players and probably more important than that, they know who they are."

You can watch Pritchard's complete press conference in the video player above.

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Watch: Kevin Pritchard 2021 Postseason Press Conference

The Pacers made a major move earlier this week, agreeing in principle to a four-team deal that sent two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo to Houston while bringing 26-year-old guard Caris LeVert from Brooklyn to Indiana.

The deal was reported on Wednesday afternoon, but it wasn't officially completed until Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM ET, roughly 72 hours later.

We found out shortly after why the trade took so long to complete, as the Pacers announced that an MRI during LeVert's physical with Indiana revealed a small mass on his left kidney.

It's standard procedure after a trade is agreed upon for each team involved to conduct physicals with the players they are receiving. In this case, Indiana's team physicians identified the mass, which spurred a series of conversations between LeVert, doctors, the Pacers' front office and ownership, and the three other teams involved in the deal.

In the end, the Pacers elected to go through with the trade, which also saw them receive cash considerations from Brooklyn and future second-round draft picks from each of Houston and Cleveland.

Pacers President Kevin Pritchard spoke to the media via Zoom on Saturday night shortly after news of LeVert's diagnosis was announced. Pritchard estimated the organization had nearly 50 conversations with doctors over the past few days, but ultimately decided they wanted to proceed with the deal and bring LeVert to Indiana.

"This organization's going to step up, help him get through this (and) get him on the court," Prichard said. "I'm super confident that we're going to have him on the court.

"It may not be today that he can help us, but we do believe that he can help us in the not-so-distant future. That's what got us comfortable. There's risk. We're willing to accept that risk. But there's also a human element."

The "human element" kept coming up in conversations between the Pacers' front office – which includes General Manager Chad Buchanan, Assistant General Manager Kelly Krauskopf, and Vice President of Basketball Operations Ted Wu – as well as team owner Herb Simon.

"Herb Simon, in his incredible fashion, in one call that was in the last 24 hours summed it up," Pritchard said. "He really humanized (the situation) and made it really about Caris and trying to do what's right for him. As soon as we found this out, all eyes were trying to help Caris and making sure that we planned this out.

"What makes me really proud is there (were) some moments where, yeah, we could have bowed out. We could have said no chance. But Herb (Simon) and Chad (Buchanan), they just stuck in there. They really said, 'Let's see this through.'"

According to the team's statement, LeVert will be out indefinitely while he undergoes further tests. Pritchard was limited in how much he could discuss LeVert's situation due to medical privacy laws, but did say that he believed that there is a chance that LeVert could play this season.

From a basketball perspective, LeVert is a player the Pacers have coveted for many years. Coincidentally, Indiana technically drafted him out of the University of Michigan with the 20th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, but the Pacers had already agreed to trade the pick to Brooklyn for Thaddeus Young.

Pritchard said Saturday that LeVert had impressed the front office during an interview at the pre-draft combine and the Pacers would have targeted him with their draft pick had they kept it.

Instead, LeVert went to the Nets, where he has blossomed into a gifted playmaker. He has averaged 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 57 games over the past two seasons. He scored a career-high 51 points in a win at Boston in March and dropped 43 in Memphis on Jan. 8.

PHOTO GALLERY: Caris LeVert Career Gallery »

The Pacers have attempted to engage with Brooklyn about acquiring LeVert recently, but knew that it was unlikely that they could get him without another team becoming involved.

That door opened earlier this week, when Rockets star James Harden essentially asked for a trade during his postgame media availability on Tuesday night. Knowing that Brooklyn was a likely destination for Harden, the Pacers quickly engaged the Rockets in conversations to see if they could find a way to bring LeVert to Indiana.

It was a difficult decision to part with Oladipo, who had blossomed in his four years with the organization, but the Pacers loved what they were getting in return.

"The thing that we noticed about Caris is he loves the game," Pritchard said. "Those players tend to get better. And he is right in his prime. Once we get this behind us, we feel like we got a player that, probably more than anything, can make plays for himself but also make plays for others. I mean, he's averaging six assists (per game) now.

"In my mind, with our new offense, with the way (head coach) Nate (Bjorkgren) plays and with our triggers and the way we try to get in the paint and make plays, you can give him the ball and we've seen it….he fills the stat book up."

Pritchard said he has had many conversations with LeVert over the past few days. The nature of the situation pushed those talks to a deeper place than it would have gone otherwise, and Pritchard came away from them raving about LeVert's character.

"I got two texts back from the doctors when they told him what happened," Pritchard said. "And they said they'd never seen a kid be so optimistic and ready to jump in here and get it taken care of.

"He's a very happy person. He believes in looking at things optimistically. He's going to attack this with a smile every day and he's going to beat it."