In 2025, the Indiana Pacers went on a magical playoff run. The four-seeded Pacers went all the way to the NBA Finals and took a 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder team to seven games. While they ultimately came up short, Tyrese Haliburton's devastating Achilles injury played a role.
The Pacers' success centered around ball movement, breakneck pace, a plethora of scoring threats, and high-pressure defense. Notably, the Pacers ranked third in assists per game and seventh in pace. Of course, Haliburton was the engine, but having to account for Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Bennedict Mathurin, and Myles Turner truly made Indiana a headache to deal with.
I see some clear similarities between the 2025 Pacers and this year's Minnesota Timberwolves team. No, it's not a perfect comparison. The Wolves don't have the same five-out spacing element that the Pacers were known for, and the Pacers didn't have a scorer like Anthony Edwards. Still, with LaMelo Ball and Edwards, they can make it rain from beyond the arc.
Likewise, they have a ton of offensive threats outside of these two, who can both create for themselves and spot-up. Furthermore, the Wolves should play at a similarly fast pace and have the perimeter defenders needed to wear teams out with their relentless ball pressure.
The Timberwolves could be a Pacers-like matchup nightmare
We already saw how this style of play caused challenges for the Thunder. Forcing the Thunder (and San Antonio Spurs) away from the rim and turning the game into a fast-paced 3-point shooting contest is a pretty sound blueprint. As such, this style of play could help the Timberwolves upset their conference foes.
Last season, the Wolves cracked the top 10 in pace. With LaMelo and Jonathan Kuminga in the fold, this fast-paced style is primed to continue. Speed and athleticism are themes throughout the Wolves' rotation. This is true even for their bench players, including Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Joan Beringer.
Considering how strong the Wolves' defense is, led by Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, there should be plenty of opportunities for them to force turnovers. To this end, Minnesota can also replicate Indiana's style of high-pressure defense with McDaniels, Dosunmu, Edwards, and Kuminga. The Wolves' defense has always been super physical, but I'd love to see them ramp up the ball pressure given that pace will be a theme and Gobert allows for extra-aggressive coverage.
And while the Pacers' perimeter defense was elite, they never had ample rim protection with Myles Turner. Thus, with Gobert, the Wolves' defense should be even better, which, paired with Edwards on offense, could make them a supercharged version of the Pacers.
Look, Ball isn't a better playmaker than Haliburton. Truthfully, his decision-making needs to improve. However, he is an elite playmaker who can help the Wolves play fast both in transition and in the half-court.
The Wolves have long had a ton of offensive talent, but they've lacked a playmaker who can organize the offense for others. Ball changes that. Now, they can lean into an everybody-eats style offense which, as the Pacers showed us, is really tough to defend against.
Likewise, his playmaking can ensure involvement from the whole team. Dealing with Ant and LaMelo will already be tricky enough. Then you realize that you have to account for McDaniels and Kuminga. Dosunmu and Shannon are quality bench scorers. Simply put, there aren't many options for opposing teams to disrespect.
Sure, the Wolves have a lot of mouths to feed, and there's a chance their offense never reaches these heights as a result. Regardless, if everything falls into place, it could look a lot like the 2025 Pacers, and Ball's playmaking could be a key reason why.
Considering the Wolves share some positive traits with the Pacers, and Anthony Edwards' greatness, their ceiling is immense. At the end of the day, this Pacers-like identity could help lead the Timberwolves to the promised land.
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