Pacers projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season

Indiana Pacers starting center: Myles Turner

Myles Turner is the longest-tenured Pacer returning for his eighth season and has been the starting center for them for the last seven seasons. Last season, Turner averaged 18 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.3 blocks on 55/37/78 shooting splits.

This was by far the best season Myles Turner has had throughout his career and it had a lot to do with having Tyrese Haliburton. Turner is a very good offensive center, not only is he a lob threat but he can really space the floor. His ability to shoot and draw opposing bigs out of the paint can create so many opportunities for the Pacers where everybody can be an elite scorer. 

The most important aspect that Turner brings to the Pacers is his defensive ability. He was the Pacers' best defender last season while also being one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA. For his career Turner has averaged 2.3 blocks per game and is the defensive anchor of multiple top-10 defenses.

Turner will be one of the most important players for the Pacers for this upcoming season. He does have an injury history that could hurt them but when he is on the court you'll feel his presence night in and night out.

Primary backup center: Isaiah Jackson

Isaiah Jackson was primarily the Pacers' backup center playing in 63 games and averaging 16.5 minutes per game. Last season, he averaged 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on 56/14/65 shooting splits.  

Jackson on the other hand, is a completely different offensive player than Myles Turner. Jackson does not have the same floor spacing as Turner but is a very great option in the pick-and-roll and as a lob threat.

He is able to earn his minutes because of his efforts on the defensive end. It is highly impressive that Jackson was able to average 1.5 blocks per game in just 16.5 minutes. To put that in perspective, that's 3.2 blocks over 36 minutes. The Pacers have two great defensive big men that will anchor the team's defense throughout the season.

Other who could receive minutes: Daniel Theis and Jalen Smith

Daniel Theis is the Pacers' third-string center as he was last season. He played in seven games and averaged 7 points and 3.1 rebounds on 47/18/42 shooting splits. Theis is slowly on his way out of the league so the Pacers will have to suffer injury for him to play. Chances are the Pacers would go to Jalen Smith at the 5 before Theis.