New Indiana Pacers forward Larry Nance Jr. made a bold take on the team entering the new season.
The Indiana Pacers will enter the 2026-27 NBA season ready to put on a show once again.
Despite only winning 19 games a year ago, Indiana will be looking for some redemption this coming year. The Pacers will be getting back star guard Tyrese Haliburton on the court, giving them a chance to contend again.
Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 season due to a torn Achilles, but the guard is now ready to go. The Pacers star spent the entire last year-plus working on his rehab, and Indiana's offense should be able to take off with him on the floor.
With Haliburton, the Pacers offense was able to run up and down the court, giving them an edge over opponents. And this style of play got the attention of many players around the league, including a newcomer to the roster, forward Larry Nance Jr., who signed with Indiana this summer.
Nance said that part of the reason why he wanted to come to the Pacers was the pace that the team plays with. The veteran forward said that Indiana is at the forefront of the NBA when it comes to how they play.
With how the NBA is in this current era, the Pacers did help set the tone for the run-and-gun offensive attack. Teams now are trying to replicate the success that Indiana saw during the 2024-25 season.
Over his career, Nance has dealt with different injuries, and the Pacers have put a major emphasis on prioritizing conditioning with their players. This allows the team to play in the manner that they want to, and for someone like Nance, it could make a major difference during the year.
Nance has been a physical player during his career, and he wants to get back to playing that style of basketball. Joining the Pacers should help, and Indiana has plans for him to be a major contributor off the bench in head coach Rick Carlisle's system.
The veteran played in 35 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, averaging 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per contest. With Indiana, if Nance can give them some strong minutes off the bench, his presence could be heavily felt.
Nance believes in this Pacers team, and Indiana will be trying to get back to the NBA Finals this year with Haliburton back. The Pacers should be a title contender again this season, and if all goes according to plan, they will have a good opportunity to win a lot of games.
