2024–25 Indiana Pacers season
2024–25 NBA season by team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2024–25 Indiana Pacers season was the 58th season of the franchise and the 49th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rick Carlisle returned for his eighth season as head coach. The Pacers sought to build off their previous playoff success by advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1999–2000 season.
| 2024–25 Indiana Pacers season | |
|---|---|
Conference champions | |
| Head coach | Rick Carlisle |
| President | Kevin Pritchard |
| General manager | Chad Buchanan |
| Owner | Herbert Simon |
| Arena | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| Results | |
| Record | 50–32 (.610) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Central) Conference: 4th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (lost to Thunder 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | FanDuel Sports Network Indiana WTHR (5 simulcasts)[1] |
| Radio | 1070 The Fan |
During free agency, the Pacers re-signed Pascal Siakam to a four-year, $189.5 million contract.[2][3] The team lost free agent backup centers Jalen Smith to the Chicago Bulls and Oscar Tshiebwe to the Utah Jazz, while also losing James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson to season-ending achilles ruptures.
On April 1, 2025, the Pacers clinched their second consecutive playoff berth in the 2025 NBA playoffs following the Portland Trail Blazers victory over the Atlanta Hawks. On April 10, the Pacers clinched the fourth seed in the playoffs following a 114–112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and recorded their first 50-win season since 2013–14 with a 126–118 win over the Cavaliers on April 13.
In the first round, the Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, advancing to face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals; the Pacers eliminated Cleveland in five games, advancing to a second straight Eastern Conference finals. This was the first time since the 2013–14 NBA season that the Pacers have advanced to consecutive conference finals, and their 10th NBA conference finals appearance overall. Facing the New York Knicks for the ninth time in their history, Indiana won the series in six games to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history, matching up with the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder, where they lost in seven games. In the decisive Game 7 of the Finals, star point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the first quarter, and he was expected to miss all of next season.[4]
The 2024–25 Pacers were well known for their unexpected comebacks throughout the playoffs, such as Game 5 against the Bucks, Game 2 against the Cavaliers, Game 1 against the Knicks, and Game 1 of the Finals against the Thunder. Due to their comebacks, the level of competition they had to face, such as both #1 seeds, the Cavaliers and Thunder, and Haliburton's astounding clutch performance throughout the playoffs, such as three game-winners vs. Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City, and a game-tying shot vs. New York, the Pacers were widely considered to have one of the most improbable playoff runs in NBA history.[5]
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College / club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 36 | Juan Núñez | PG |  Spain |
Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) |
| 2 | 49 | Tristen Newton | PG |  United States |
UConn |
| 2 | 50 | Enrique Freeman | PF | United States |
Akron |
The Pacers entered the draft (which was two days instead of one like it had been since the NBA draft was shortened down to two rounds back in 1989) with three second-round picks, acquired in deals surrounding Victor Oladipo, Buddy Hield, and Pascal Siakam.[6][7] They had traded their original first-round selection to the Toronto Raptors as part of the Siakam trade and their original second-round selection to the Milwaukee Bucks before it was eventually used by the Los Angeles Clippers in the draft.[8]
On the second day of the draft, the Pacers traded Spanish point guard Juan Núñez, the 36th pick and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for the 35th pick, Johnny Furphy. They would also select point guard Tristen Newton and Enrique Freeman from the NCAA champion University of Connecticut and University of Akron, respectively, as the back-to-back 49th and 50th picks of the draft.
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c – Cleveland Cavaliers | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 34–7 | 30–11 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Indiana Pacers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 14.0 | 29–12 | 21–20 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x – Milwaukee Bucks | 48 | 34 | .585 | 16.0 | 28–14 | 20–20 | 9–7 | 82 |
| x – Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 20.0 | 22–19 | 22–19 | 5–11 | 82 |
| pi – Chicago Bulls | 39 | 43 | .476 | 25.0 | 18–23 | 21–20 | 4–12 | 82 |
Conference
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Cleveland Cavaliers * | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Boston Celtics * | 61 | 21 | .744 | 3.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – New York Knicks | 51 | 31 | .622 | 13.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Indiana Pacers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 14.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Milwaukee Bucks | 48 | 34 | .585 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 7 | y – Orlando Magic * | 41 | 41 | .500 | 23.0 | 82 |
| 8 | pi – Atlanta Hawks | 40 | 42 | .488 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 9 | pi – Chicago Bulls | 39 | 43 | .476 | 25.0 | 82 |
| 10 | x – Miami Heat | 37 | 45 | .451 | 27.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Toronto Raptors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 34.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Brooklyn Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 38.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Philadelphia 76ers | 24 | 58 | .293 | 40.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Charlotte Hornets | 19 | 63 | .232 | 45.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Washington Wizards | 18 | 64 | .220 | 46.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
During the preseason, the Pacers would play their final games under what was previously named Bally Sports Indiana. Bally Sports would rebrand itself to the FanDuel Sports Network as of October 21, 2024, before the start of the regular season.[9][10]
| 2024 preseason game log Total: 2–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 2–2 (home: 1–1; road: 1–1)
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| 2024–25 preseason schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2024–25 game log Total: 50–32 (Home: 29–12; Road: 21–20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 2–3 (home: 1–1; road: 1–2)
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November: 7–8 (home: 6–2; road: 1–6)
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December: 7–7 (home: 1–3; road: 6–4)
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January: 10–2 (home: 5–2; road: 5–0)
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February: 7–5 (home: 4–2; road: 3–3)
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March: 11–6 (home: 8–1; road: 3–5)
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April: 6–1 (home: 4–1; road: 2–0)
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| 2024–25 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 2025 playoff game log Total: 15–8 (home: 8–3; road: 7–5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0)
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Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
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NBA Finals: 3–4 (home: 2–1; road: 1–3)
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| 2025 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NBA Cup
The groups were revealed during the tournament announcement on July 12, 2024.[11][12]
East Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 4 | 4 | 0 | 462 | 412 | +50 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Detroit Pistons | 4 | 3 | 1 | 447 | 440 | +7 | |
| 3 | Miami Heat | 4 | 2 | 2 | 459 | 439 | +20 | |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors | 4 | 1 | 3 | 413 | 430 | −17 | |
| 5 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | 0 | 4 | 445 | 505 | −60 |
| 2024–25 game log Total: 0–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NBA Cup: 0–4 (home: 0–2; road: 0–2)
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Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. J. McConnell | PG | 79 | 1 | 1,415 | 193 | 351 | 83 | 21 | 720 | 17.9 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 1.1 | .3 | 9.1 |
| Obi Toppin | PF | 79 | 4 | 1,545 | 318 | 128 | 46 | 28 | 833 | 19.6 | 4.0 | 1.6 | .6 | .4 | 10.5 |
| Pascal Siakam | PF | 78 | 78 | 2,548 | 540 | 263 | 70 | 42 | 1,578 | 32.7 | 6.9 | 3.4 | .9 | .5 | 20.2 |
| Jarace Walker | PF | 75 | 5 | 1,187 | 229 | 110 | 54 | 25 | 461 | 15.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | .7 | .3 | 6.1 |
| Tyrese Haliburton | PG | 73 | 73 | 2,451 | 258 | 673 | 105 | 49 | 1,359 | 33.6 | 3.5 | 9.2 | 1.4 | .7 | 18.6 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | SF | 72 | 49 | 2,149 | 383 | 136 | 47 | 24 | 1,156 | 29.8 | 5.3 | 1.9 | .7 | .3 | 16.1 |
| Myles Turner | C | 72 | 72 | 2,174 | 471 | 111 | 54 | 144 | 1,120 | 30.2 | 6.5 | 1.5 | .8 | 2.0 | 15.6 |
| Andrew Nembhard | SG | 65 | 65 | 1,881 | 216 | 326 | 79 | 11 | 653 | 28.9 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 1.2 | .2 | 10.0 |
| Ben Sheppard | SG | 63 | 9 | 1,228 | 177 | 85 | 38 | 14 | 332 | 19.5 | 2.8 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | 5.3 |
| Thomas Bryant† | C | 56 | 8 | 848 | 219 | 49 | 27 | 32 | 388 | 15.1 | 3.9 | .9 | .5 | .6 | 6.9 |
| Johnny Furphy | SG | 50 | 0 | 379 | 71 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 103 | 7.6 | 1.4 | .4 | .4 | .2 | 2.1 |
| Aaron Nesmith | SF | 45 | 37 | 1,123 | 178 | 54 | 35 | 17 | 541 | 25.0 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .8 | .4 | 12.0 |
| Quenton Jackson | PG | 28 | 7 | 381 | 44 | 53 | 21 | 5 | 162 | 13.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 | .8 | .2 | 5.8 |
| Enrique Freeman | PF | 22 | 1 | 181 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 46 | 8.2 | 1.4 | .4 | .1 | .1 | 2.1 |
| Tony Bradley | C | 14 | 0 | 113 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 61 | 8.1 | 3.0 | .4 | .1 | .6 | 4.4 |
| James Johnson | PF | 12 | 0 | 37 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3.1 | .5 | .3 | .0 | .2 | .7 |
| RayJ Dennis | PG | 11 | 0 | 70 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | 2.7 |
| Moses Brown† | C | 9 | 0 | 46 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 5.1 | 1.4 | .0 | .2 | .1 | 3.2 |
| Isaiah Jackson | C | 5 | 1 | 84 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 35 | 16.8 | 5.6 | 1.0 | .6 | 1.6 | 7.0 |
| Tristen Newton† | SG | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.6 | .0 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .6 |
| Jahlil Okafor | C | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| James Wiseman | C | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 6.0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Pacers only.
Playoffs
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrese Haliburton | PG | 23 | 23 | 772 | 123 | 197 | 30 | 15 | 399 | 33.6 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 1.3 | .7 | 17.3 |
| T. J. McConnell | PG | 23 | 0 | 402 | 75 | 93 | 20 | 2 | 218 | 17.5 | 3.3 | 4.0 | .9 | .1 | 9.5 |
| Andrew Nembhard | SG | 23 | 23 | 769 | 74 | 107 | 35 | 5 | 287 | 33.4 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 1.5 | .2 | 12.5 |
| Aaron Nesmith | SF | 23 | 23 | 650 | 130 | 26 | 20 | 18 | 291 | 28.3 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .9 | .8 | 12.7 |
| Pascal Siakam | PF | 23 | 23 | 771 | 146 | 78 | 28 | 16 | 472 | 33.5 | 6.3 | 3.4 | 1.2 | .7 | 20.5 |
| Obi Toppin | PF | 23 | 0 | 440 | 88 | 30 | 15 | 8 | 216 | 19.1 | 3.8 | 1.3 | .7 | .3 | 9.4 |
| Myles Turner | C | 23 | 23 | 675 | 110 | 32 | 12 | 46 | 317 | 29.3 | 4.8 | 1.4 | .5 | 2.0 | 13.8 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | SF | 22 | 0 | 385 | 73 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 243 | 17.5 | 3.3 | .9 | .4 | .3 | 11.0 |
| Ben Sheppard | SG | 21 | 0 | 293 | 39 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 67 | 14.0 | 1.9 | .4 | .4 | .0 | 3.2 |
| Thomas Bryant | C | 20 | 0 | 167 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 52 | 8.4 | 1.4 | .2 | .2 | .3 | 2.6 |
| Jarace Walker | PF | 12 | 0 | 117 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 9.8 | 1.8 | .7 | .2 | .2 | 3.0 |
| Tony Bradley | C | 11 | 0 | 78 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 7.1 | 1.9 | .3 | .0 | .1 | 1.5 |
| Johnny Furphy | SG | 11 | 0 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3.2 | .5 | .1 | .0 | .1 | .2 |
| James Johnson | PF | 5 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3.6 | .2 | .4 | .4 | .4 | 1.4 |
Transactions
Trades
| July 6, 2024[13] | To Indiana Pacers Draft rights to Johnny Furphy (No. 35) |
To San Antonio Spurs Draft rights to Juan Núñez (No. 36) Cash considerations |
| December 15, 2024 | To Indiana Pacers Thomas Bryant |
To Miami Heat 2031 IND second-round pick swap |
| February 6, 2025[14][15] | To Indiana Pacers 2026 TOR second-round pick (Top 55 protected) |
To Toronto Raptors James Wiseman Cash considerations |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Obi Toppin | July 6, 2024 | [16] |
| Pascal Siakam | July 8, 2024 | |
| James Johnson | July 25, 2024 | |
| Andrew Nembhard | July 26, 2024 | |
| T.J. McConnell | September 3, 2024 |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josiah-Jordan James | June 28, 2024 (Exhibit 10) |
Tennessee Volunteers | [17] |
| James Wiseman | July 5, 2024 | Detroit Pistons | [18] |
| Keisei Tominaga | July 5, 2024 (Exhibit 10) |
Nebraska Cornhuskers | |
| Johnny Furphy | July 6, 2024 | Kansas Jayhawks | |
| Tristen Newton | July 27, 2024 (Two-way contract) |
UConn Huskies | |
| Quenton Jackson | July 27, 2024 (Two-way contract) |
Indiana Mad Ants | |
| Enrique Freeman | August 8, 2024 (Two-way contract) |
Akron Zips | |
| Cole Swider | August 8, 2024 (Two-way contract) |
Miami Heat | |
| Jahlil Okafor | October 15, 2024 (Exhibit 10) |
Casademont Zaragoza |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Smith | Free agency | Chicago Bulls | [19] |
| Doug McDermott | Free agency | Sacramento Kings | |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | Free agency | Utah Jazz | |
| Isaiah Wong | Free agency | Utah Jazz / Charlotte Hornets | |
| Jahlil Okafor | Waived | Indiana Mad Ants | |
| Cole Swider | Waived | Detroit Pistons | |
| Kendall Brown | Waived | Long Island Nets | |
| Tristen Newton | Waived | Minnesota Timberwolves |