In a reversal from last season, when the excesses of going overboard with overs resulted in surrendering the highest opponent rim frequency in the league, the Pacers have more often pivoted to confronting dangerous ball-handlers above the level of the screen, increasing the activity of the bigs in order to cover for the team’s struggles at the point of attack while also deterring a larger share of the action away from the basket.
No longer expecting Domantas Sabonis to function like Myles Turner, who also has seen an uptick in hedging against playmaking guards and wings capable of stepping into pull-up jumpers, Indiana’s short-armed All-Star has demonstrated improved agility without being responsible for challenging as many shots at the rim.