Basketball, She Wrote posts
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Ben Sheppard is in overdrive, for worse and perhaps, eventually, better
Injuries have strong-armed the third-year guard into displaying a stronger grasp of his handleBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper During crunch-time against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ben Sheppard was assessed a defensive three-second violation while somewhat absentmindedly loading up against Julius Randle at the strong-side elbow without guarding anyone. Seconds later, he committed a three-shot foul, clipping Donte DiVincenzo in the corner after pu...
Short-handed Pacers leave Pascal Siakam short-handed
Shoutout to RayJ Dennis and Tony Bradley, but Indiana's star could've used a few more helping hands in powering the Pacers forward against the opposing team's power forwardBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper On the second night of a back-to-back, with eight players on an injury list that grew to also include Obi Toppin (hamstring), there was perhaps no sequence more telling as to the current shortcomings of the short-handed Pacers than th...
On the Pacers bringing their best against the league's best
In what was a Finals rematch, on how Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam both erased and embraced familiar aspects of Game 4 that were arguably more familiar to the ThunderBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperIt wasn't Game 8 of the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton wasn't playing for the Pacers, Jalen Williams wasn't playing for the Thunder, and neither were a few other key contributors on both sides. And yet, while all of the faces in play m...
Can the Pacers bridge the gap? 2025-26 Season Outlook - w/ Caitlin & Samson
Answering mailbag questions about the upcoming seasonBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperThe Pacers aren't taking a gap year (maybe?), so neither are we. As promised, I teamed up once again with Samson Folk to recap preseason and lookahead to the games that count while answering your patron-only mailbag questions. For this installment, the center position was a central focus, along with how the Pacers can get to the point (or, rather the paint) mo...
How the Pacers can problem-solve at center without one right answer
On what needs to change to find and develop the best of several options By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperIn a game that saw Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Pascal Siakam combine for 68 points on nearly 68 percent shooting, as Mathurin (in particular) found nearly nothing but net, going 11-of-12 from the field, the centers for the Pacers never converted a single shot attempt, with Tony Bradley leading all scorers at the posit...
Walker, Peter, and Wiseman intrigue as Pacers beat Thunder
And so they meet again (before they meet again in the regular-season opener)By: Samson Folk I @samfolkk The last time I watched a Pacers versus Thunder game it was about as good a representation of elite basketball that I had ever seen. Star-studded, guard-driven, high-octane basketball. This time around I was looking at a hodge-podge of Pacers against a hodge-podge of… Thunders (?). Say goodbye to the MVP of the league, say goodbye to Pascal S...
As tinkerers, the Pacers are already back to being the Pacers
First impressions from Indiana's first preseason gameBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperPlaying their first "game" of a season without Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers made 20 threes and scored 28 fast-break points. For frame of reference, Indiana only reached the former bench-mark three times in 82 games last season, and they only notched at least 25 fast-break points 12 times. Those two things never happened in the same game - until now. A...
New Merch: Quintessential Basketball, She Wrote
Heyyy, do you like T-Shirts?? By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper If there's any two things that Basketball, She Wrote is known for, it's basketball (of course) and popsicles (because, why not?). As some of you may recall, when I launched Basketball, She Wrote in February of 2023, there was a short-form article available for all the games I missed while I was (well) out of the game, along with a popsicle recipe. Since then, every patron-only ...
Explaining Pascal Siakam's advice for Jarace Walker, via film
My work at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. This article, as a breakdown of how Jarace Walker is learning to start a stampede, is available as a free trial for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. Alright, on to the words about the Pacers.By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper In August, near to when Jarace Walker was finally c...
Breaking down some of the best actions for this version of the Pacers
What follows is my response to a mailbag question from CJ Burnett asking which actions the Pacers might turn to in the absence of the Haliburton-Turner pick-and-roll. On the plays that optimize Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Pascal Siakam as starters -- and how they can do more of the same, but differently. By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper So far, aside from a few injury updates, catchphrases like the "standard is stil...
Why Bennedict Mathurin needs to master the art of rejecting rejections
On a potential major point of emphasis at the point of attack By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper Turns out, Bennedict Mathurin won't just be starting alongside Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt this season; he'll also have his back in terms of taking on more of the load defending at the point of attack. "The challenges might be greater defensively," Rick Carlisle told reporters at Media Day, when speaking about what will likely be nee...
Pacers Mailbag: New Players, New Trends, New Team, New Season, etc.
On the newness of Jay Huff, Delon Wright, and everything that might have to change in a season without Tyrese HaliburtonBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper The NBA's offseason is about to become the NBA's on-season. That means, with training camp about to start but before any preseason games have been played, this month's mailbag largely offers a mix of questions about what hasn't been seen yet for the Pacers, ranging from new players...
Indiana Pacers 2025-26 Lookahead
A very delicate balancing actBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperWith training camp right around the corner, I have once again taken part in one of my favorite pre-preseason traditions: Talking into a microphone with the always-thorough and endlessly-inquisitive Dan Favale at Bleacher Report for his annual lookahead series via his podcast Hardwood Knocks. Since we covered so much ground about the upcoming season for the Pacers, with Dan posing a full ...
Will the Pacers still be the (Pace)rs?
The following is my response to a mailbag question in which patron Sko asked what aspects of the team's identity will be limited/challenged most by Tyrese Haliburton's absence and whether there will be fewer run-outs involving Obi Toppin and Pascal SiakamBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperTwo summers ago, when Tyrese Haliburton was coming off the bench for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, the coaching staff for New Zealand could be overheard o...
What the Pacers need in a big, based on how they came up short
The following is my response to a mailbag question in which patron Tyler Bishop asked what traits the Pacers should be looking for in a center, specifically to optimize Tyrese HaliburtonBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperAs it applies to the unexpected amount of bulletin board material that was strewn about after a certain center absconded for the pastures that are supposedly greener wherever he goes (after all, he will be wearing a green uniform), i...
How Andrew Nembhard gets a jump on stealing the opening jump
And why the center circle projects to put a central focus on his ability to still do the little things while also playing a bigger roleBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperTwo summers ago, long before the Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam or advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons, this publication spent the offseason exploring areas where the team could potentially find small edges for increasing points per possession. At the t...
Pacers Mailbag: Taking a turn at lineup and rotation decisions
An in-depth look at past precedents for the "center by committee" approach, how the Pacers can play big even when they go small, and what the response should be from the Pacers if more teams start playing like the PacersBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperSomehow, there is less than five weeks until the start of training camp. With the season right around the corner, there was a lot of interest in picturing what a team that might take on a dif...
How Pascal Siakam falls upward
What follows is my response to a mailbag question from patron Brad Inman in which I was asked whether Pascal Siakam falls down more than any other player in the NBA and to what degree he does so with purposeful control. In collaboration with Samson Folk, this video podcast is a free trial for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing/talking about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it arou...
How Isaiah Jackson can "slot" in at center
On playing 5-out with a non-shooting center -- or at least more limited shooting centerBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperFor his career, Isaiah Jackson has shot 7-of-34 from three. By comparison, Myles Turner shot a career-best 28-of-56 just on triples from the corners last season. A year ago, Jackson went to work on his jumper during the offseason, but the results of that labor didn't exactly have a chance to bear much fruit, as he went down wi...
How the Pacers constantly serve different looks
The method to their randomness isn't merely a toss-up. By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper "The hope is that it looks different every time." That's what Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle told me during our conversation about random offense, when asked what playing without play-calls looks like in action. Of course, this also applies when the action needs to be reignited. In that regard, there isn't just variety in terms of which ty...
Defining Random Offense: How the Pacers play without plays - w/ Rick Carlisle
The work here at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. This video podcast, discussing all things random offense and a whole bunch more with Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle, is available as a free trial for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperJust because the NBA calendar is deep in the offseaso...
Mailbag: A few of my favorite Pacers things
And other basketball-related musingsBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper Judging by the questions that were sent in this month, the majority of you seem ready to stop dwelling on the past of heart-breaking injuries and the circumstances by which a certain center absconded in favor of, well, asking me a bunch of stuff about my favorite stuff - ranging from play-types and junk defenses to memories, both past and present. What a welcome breath of fresh a...
Pacers Summer League/Offseason Recap
Talking about the latest goings on now that there isn't as much going on By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperThe NBA Draft is over, Summer League is over, and free agency is (presumably) winding down -- if not also over. That means, it's officially the offseason portion of the offseason. As such, before the calendar turns over to obsessing about (well) the NBA calendar, now seems like the perfect time to recap the summer that was -- once again...
Kam Jones gets to the point (up to a point)
On the tipping point of the second-round draft pick's run of running point By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper With Ray J Dennis and Quenton Jackson both sitting out the fourth and final game of the exhibition schedule in Las Vegas (yes, for some reason, consolation games aren't a mirage and will still be played in Las Vegas), Kam Jones had fuller run of running point for the Summer Pacers, as the 38th overall pick in the draft piloted 15 pic...
Why Johnny Furphy needs to find lower lows to reach new heights
On the 20-year-old's propensity for making the play before 'The Play' and why reaching higher highs might require him to play lower than ever By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper Before Tyrese Haliburton missed his second free throw against the Cleveland Cavaliers, secured the rebound, and retreated to the top of the key to drain a game-winning, step-back three with 1.1 seconds left, Andrew Nembhard forced a turnover at the other end of th...
Taelon Peter gets a move on as Summer Pacers stall out
Recapping Indiana's 104-85 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the play and player of the game By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper Turns out, the Flyover Finals look a bit different in the electric lights of Las Vegas -- especially when the Pacers don't shoot lights out. For the game, in what was an excessive display of Summer League, the Summer Pacers shot a dismal 8-of-42 from three and finished with more turnovers (19) than assists (16)...
On Isaiah Jackson picking up where he limped off
And whether he can provide returns for the Pacers in his return to the PacersBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper Isaiah Jackson may still be down, but he certainly isn't out. Or, at least not on the outs with the Pacers, as the fourth-year big man has agreed to a three-year, $21 million dollar deal to keep his feet planted in Indiana, reports ESPN's Shams Charania. Of course, after tearing his Achilles at the start of last season, he still ha...
On Ray J Dennis & the Pacers being the Pacers
Recapping Indiana's Summer League win over the Cavs with a play and the player of the gameBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperIn Game 82 of the regular season, the Pacers came back from 27 points down to win over the Cleveland Cavaliers with Johnny Furphy, Quenton Jackson, Ray J Dennis, and Enrique Freeman all playing significant roles. In Game 1 of Summer League, the Summer Pacers came back from 16 points down to win over the Cleveland Cavaliers ...
On Jay Huff playing (center)field for the Pacers
And the potentially bigger question of who will play the part of Andrew Nembhard for Andrew NembhardBy: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_CooperOn December 29, just three days after the Pacers had played the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse but long before the two teams would meet in the NBA Finals, the Memphis Grizzlies were playing the Thunder at Paycom Center. With 5:13 to play in the third quarter, Oklahoma City entered the ball to Isaiah Ha...
2025 Pacers Summer League: Sophomores
Taking a look at what to watch for from the Summer Pacers By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper In the wake of Game 7, it seems as though time is both standing still and flying by. Although fans of the Pacers may still be trying to process the harsh conclusion to what was a fairy tale-like run to the NBA Finals, the league has continued to march on. Somehow, the NBA Draft already came and went, and the calendar has flipped to July, when in addition to ...
