Pacers Pulse Podcast

SHOW / EPISODE

The Indiana Pacers’ Biggest Advantage Nobody Is Talking About

26m | Aug 31, 2026

The NBA is getting bigger but what if that actually creates an opportunity for the Indiana Pacers?

In this episode of Pacers Pulse, I dive into what could be one of Indiana’s biggest advantages heading into the 2026-27 NBA season: the ability to play small, play fast, and force bigger teams to keep up.

The Pacers don’t necessarily need to beat bigger teams by matching them with size. They may be able to beat them by making them uncomfortable.

I’ll break down why Indiana’s pace, ball movement, cutting, transition offense, and ability to attack before defenses are set could create major problems for teams built around size and length. We’ll also look back at the Pacers’ Finals run and how their speed and relentless style helped them make opponents play a game they didn’t always want to play.

But there’s an important question: If small-ball can be such a weapon, why did the Pacers add Ivica Zubac?

I’ll get into why Zubac doesn’t have to contradict Indiana’s identity and why the real advantage could be having the ability to switch between size and speed depending on the matchup.

Plus, I’ll look at what a dangerous Pacers small-ball lineup could look like, when Indiana should use it, and the biggest weaknesses that could keep it from working.

Because maybe the question isn’t whether the Pacers have enough size.

Maybe the question is whether they can make everyone else play at their speed.

The NBA can keep getting bigger. The Pacers don’t have to play their game.

🏀 Topics covered:

Why the NBA is getting bigger
Why small-ball could be a major Pacers advantage
How Indiana’s pace can wear down bigger teams
What the Pacers’ Finals run taught us
How Ivica Zubac fits into this identity
The small lineup that could change a game
The biggest weaknesses of playing small
Why pace could become a weapon in a playoff series
What this could mean for the 2026-27 Pacers

Question for you: Would you rather see the Pacers match bigger teams with size, or lean into their speed and try to run those teams out of the building?

Let me know in the comments.

Link for Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3KyljZT

Link for Spotify podcast: http://bit.ly/44IiMD6

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Pacers Pulse Podcast