Pacers predicted to draft 6'9" 25.5 PPG March Madness hero, NCAA POTY candidate to pair with Tyrese Haliburton as franchise cornerstones
This would make the Pacers competitive for the next half-decade, at least.
Pacers predicted to draft 6'9" 25. 5 PPG March Madness hero, NCAA POTY candidate to pair with Tyrese Haliburton as franchise cornerstones originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
After Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles, the Indiana Pacers made the decision to tank this year to try to nab a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. And they did a great job, as they are 16-56, with the worst record in the NBA. With that in mind, there’s no possibility where they don’t get a top-three pick.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman believes so as well, and in his mock draft has the Pacers selecting A. J. Dybantsa from BYU, who he compared to Boston Celtics Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
MORE: Mavericks predicted to part ways with Kyrie Irving, trade him for $209 million star duo to fully build around Cooper Flagg “Despite the early NCAA tournament exit, AJ Dybantsa went out with a 35-point game against Texas to secure his NCAA leading scoring title. While Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer will remain in the No. 1 overall conversation, Dybantsa's case right now has the fewest holes.