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5 Players The Indiana Pacers Should Consider Taking With 11th Pick

By Cameron Stewart

Mar 15, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) works against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis (10) during the second half of the SEC Conference Tournament championship game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) works against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis (10) during the second half of the SEC Conference Tournament championship game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 15, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) works against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis (10) during the second half of the SEC Conference Tournament championship game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) works against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis (10) during the second half of the SEC Conference Tournament championship game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports /

The Indiana Pacers had a season from hell. Now it’s time to reap the benefits.

The Pacers reward for their nightmare of a year is the eleventh pick in next week’s NBA Draft.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: Our Latest NBA Mock Draft

One year after finishing with the best record in the East with a mostly young core, it went downhill quickly. After a breakout season, starting shooting guard Lance Stephenson left via free agency to Charlotte (which may have been a blessing in disguise for the Pacers). A few weeks after Stephenson’s defection, the team’s best player Paul George suffered a gruesome leg injury in a scrimmage for the USA’s national team which was gearing up for the FIBA World Cup. If that wasn’t bad enough, starters George Hill and David West missed a significant chunk of the season with injuries of their own while center Roy Hibbert struggled with inconsistency yet again.

Thankfully for the team and their fan base, the worst part appears to be over. After a year of suffering, the Pacers have reason for optimism that begins in next week’s draft. The Pacers find themselves in the back-end of the lottery. The middle of the first round is where president of basketball operations Larry Bird and the Pacers front office often found themselves drafting on the way to building the roster that took the franchise to a level the organization hadn’t been to since Ron Artest and Co. went into the stands that one fateful night in Detroit. The Pacers front office must make the most of this pick once again if they plan on getting back towards the top of the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers will return George Hill and Paul George. David West and Roy Hibbert have player options they can decline and become free agents, but neither will command the salary they’re owed under their current contracts and both are expected to play out their contracts. The core will most likely stay intact and allow the Pacers the luxury of picking the best player available regardless of position, a strategy that Bird has publicly stated he believes in.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best players that might be available when the Pacers are on the clock.

Next: Cameron Payne

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