Pacers Fan Vote Reveals MVP, Future Stars and the Team's Most Chaotic Personalities
We asked, you answered, and now, we can officially reveal the results for the Indiana Pacers' batch of year-end awards!
Shout-out to everyone who participated. You played a pivotal role in helping us dole out invaluable hardware. From the Pacers' MVP and most underrated player to their best trash-talker and zombie apocalypse savior, you covered all the most important bases.
So, who won each category? Let's get to the big reveals.
Stats accurate as of Sunday, April 12. Contract data via Spotrac.
Who Is the Most Valuable Player?
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Winner: Pascal Siakam
Pascal Siakam is the only answer. His 90 percent claim to first place proves as much. He continued to put up numbers that warranted fringe All-NBA consideration despite having a less-talented and -available cast of running mates around him.
Granted, he'll earn no more than cursory mentions in the year-end discourse. The Pacers retreating into irrelevance significantly dings his case. But he played well enough overall to reinforce his value as someone who can help headline a contender.
Who Is Most Underrated?
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Winner: Aaron Nesmith
For anyone who thought Aaron Nesmith may have graduated from this discussion, it's time to think again. He won the category with 38 percent of the vote.
That's completely fair. It would not be a stretch to say the apex version of the Pacers from years past never exists without Nesmith's incremental improvement and infinite plug-and-playness.
Jarace Walker (31 percent) sliding into No. 2 may be a good harbinger for Indiana. He has quietly developed into a well-rounded offensive force, with a more dependable outside shot than most projected.
T.J. McConnell also earned a sizable share of the vote (21 percent). His playmaking and defensive tenacity earn shout-outs every so often; just not nearly enough. Ben Sheppard (7 percent) does just enough on defense to help you forget about what he won't do on offense. Sometimes.
Who Is the Best Athlete?
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Winner: Obi Toppin
The Pacers faithful did not let Obi Toppin's injury-plagued campaign distract them from his leaping ability or a north-south gait that resembles a nitrous-powered knife cutting through Country Crock margarine. He ran away with the award, earning 76 percent of the vote.
Aaron Nesmith (14 percent) landing in second-place is the correct result as well. He isn't the most frequent dunker, but when he does get it up, he tends to make it memorable.
Who Is Most Likely To Be a 1st-Time All-Star In the Next 5 Years?
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Winner: Ivica Zubac
At 29, Ivica Zubac's window to sneak his way into the All-Star game won't be open for much longer. Luckily for him, he now plays in the Eastern Conference.
Also luckily for him: A good share of Pacers fans don't care. He edged out Andrew Nembhard in first-place votes.
Logic dictates that Nembhard's best chance at an All-Star bid would be this past season, when he played independent of Tyrese Haliburton. But he is most optimized on offense alongside his backcourt bro. With Hali, he could emerge as a Derrick White-like darling among basketball sickos. The 4 percent of you who voted for Aaron Nesmith likely followed the same logic for him.
Who Has the Best Contract?
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Winner: Aaron Nesmith
Aaron Nesmith wins this with 40 percent of the vote. His two-year extension doesn't kick in until 2027-28. Once it takes effect, he'll still be making under 12 percent of the cap. And next year, specifically, his $11 million salary is worth under 7 percent of the cap.
Ivica Zubac received 32 percent of the vote, so a bunch of you recognize why he's in Indiana at all. His contract has two years and $39.2 million remaining on it—a huge reason why the Pacers gave up so much to land him. Fringe-star bigs who take up under 13 percent of the cap are rare finds.
Who Has the Worst Contract?
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Winner: Obi Toppin
Owing Tyrese Haliburton around 30 percent of the salary cap may turn out to be fine, but it's a slipperier slope following his Achilles injury. There is a level of angst in the fanbase, as 14 percent gave him a first-place vote.
Obi Toppin nevertheless continues to be the primary point. He received 45 percent of first-place votes. While the two years and $31 million remaining on his pact are far from a cap-sheet detriment, this is not a deal Indiana can hope to flip for positive value.
Who Is the Best Trash-Talker?
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Winner: Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton picked up 44 percent of the vote and, as expected, took home this honor.
We already know he is unafraid to exchange verbal barbs. It doesn't always seem like it, particularly when he has a Mr. Rogers-esque sweater on. But there's a trolling ferocity always hovering just beneath his surface. We should expect no less from someone whose dad exchanged not-so-pleasantries Giannis Antetokounmpo
No one else truly challenged Hali—other than the Ghost of Bennedict Mathurin (31 percent).
Who Is Most Likely To Have a Burner Account?
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Winner: Tyrese Haliburton
Both Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell have at one time claimed to delete social media. That's sketchy. I'm sure Bryan Colangelo once told the Philadelphia 76ers the same thing. Haliburton being substantially younger, he picked up 49 percent of the vote and the victory.
I'm not going to lie, Jay Huff getting just 25 percent of the vote is blasphemous. He has "aka the Hoonicorn" in his Instagram bio. This all but confirms suspicions that he operates at least one burner unloading thoughts from the vantage point of his beard.
Who Are You Taking With You Into the Zombie Apocalypse?
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Winner: Ivica Zubac
Ivica Zubac getting 37 percent of the vote feels about right. His boxouts and elbows could be a zombie's worst nightmare.
Hear me out on Tyrese Haliburton (16 percent), though: Everybody seems to love playing with and being around him. That charm could seduce the zomboids into leaving us alone.
Rolling with T.J. McConnell (28 percent) or Andrew Nembhard (16 percent) is riskier. They are fearless human eclipses. That will either serve us well during the rise of the undead, or get us all killed. There is no in-between.
Who Is Most Likely To Be Playing Overseas In 2 Seasons?
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Winner: Jalen Slawson
You know the Pacers have extensively plumbed the depths of their roster, two-way contracts and all, when you can talk yourself into every single player sticking on a roster long term.
Jalen Slawson (30 percent), Ethan Thompson (27 percent) and Micah Potter (14 percent) all being above the age of 25 worked against them. Kam Jones finishing third (25 percent) was a little surprising, but I'll allow it because it means Taelon Peter wasn't an option.
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