Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker Rise

The Pacers’ rollercoaster season ended with playoff misses, but their core is back—and they’ve added Ivica Zubac. To truly contend again, they need their young stars to step up. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith flashed potential, but the breakout could be Ben Sheppard: a lockdown defender whose three-point shot exploded last year, averaging over seven points and hitting nearly 37% from deep. Meanwhile, Jarace Walker, a first-round pick who improved late last season (38% from three), is poised to become a key rotation player. At just 23, his versatility alongside Siakam and Zubac—with Haliburton orchestrating—could be the missing piece to a championship-caliber team. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/148573a2751ccedb