Thorpe’s 2024-2025 contenders: Indiana Pacers

Blur ball is back and the Pacers are a problem

BY DAVID THORPE

Can the Pacers’ marquee tandem of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam get them to the NBA Finals this season? PATRICK MCDERMOTT/GETTY IMAGES

We are profiling eight contenders that, according to David Thorpe, have a legitimate chance of winning the 2024-2025 NBA title.

David kicked things off with his “eighth-seeded” contender, the Denver Nuggets. 

We move now to the Indiana Pacers—David’s seven-seed. In last year’s playoffs, the Pacers zoomed past the Bucks and outlasted the Knicks to earn a matchup with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. 

With All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton, two-time All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam, and the league’s most effective bench, the Pacers will have their sights set on winning a chip. 

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Indiana Pacers

Regular season prediction: 50-32