Indiana Pacers: 3 perfect combinations for their 3 1st-round picks

1. Jarace Walker, Brandin Podziemski, Jordan Walsh

Jarace Walker isn’t the same 3-point shooter as Hendricks, but he can shoot and he should get better in time. Turner spaces the floor from the five spot and, in Haliburton, the Pacers have an elite pick-and-roll partner for Walker built in. The Pacers would put his finishing skills to good use. Walker is also comfortable facing up from the elbow or working two-man actions on the perimeter. He’s a good passer for his position, but he’s also capable of simply using his 250-pound frame to bulldoze his way to the rim for two points.

That being said, the Pacers should feel comfortable picking Walker in the No. 7 spot because of his defense. He’s an absolute monster athlete, listed at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He has the strength to battle bigs in the post and the lateral quickness to stick with guards on the perimeter. Not many NBA players can actually defend 1-5; Walker will join the very short list. Walker, empowered defensively by a rim protector of Turner’s caliber, is a scary thought.

Brandin Podziemski has been getting more buzz lately after his strong showing at the Combine, both in athletic testing and in scrimmages. There are concerns tied to his lack of high-level competition at Santa Clara, but Podziemski is a crafty playmaker with deep pull-up range on his jumper. He’s unabashedly confident and extremely smart; Podz would have value with the second unit.

Jordan Walsh is a five-star freshman who showed a remarkable willingness to buy into his role at Arkansas, where he shared the floor with several high-profile recruits (including potential lottery picks Nick Smith and Anthony Black). Walsh, a tremendous athlete with positional size and a 7-foot-3 wingspan, competes his tail off defensively. The Pacers would have quite the little defensive trio with Turner, Walker, and Walsh. Perimeter defense was an area of need last season.

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