Pacers Roll Out Bizarre Starting Lineup to Snap Losing Streak

The Indiana Pacers are officially throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.

Underdog NBA dropped Indiana's starting five for Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, and it is a certified sicko lineup. The team is rolling out Smith, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Ivica Zubac.

"Underdog NBA reported the lineup as 'Smith, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam, Zubac'."

Let us pause for a second on the first name in that list. Jalen Smith is currently employed by the Chicago Bulls, so unless Indiana executed a secret trade in the middle of the night or found a guy at the local YMCA, we are flying blind on which Smith is actually lacing them up. But honestly, given how the Pacers have looked this week, a random guy from the Y might be an upgrade.

You do not shake up the starting five when the vibes are immaculate. Indiana is riding a brutal losing streak, dropping a 108-104 game to the Atlanta Hawks right after scoring a pathetic 90 points against the Brooklyn Nets. This is the kind of lineup tweak you make when your team has forgotten how to win basketball games.

The real basketball story here is Ivica Zubac anchoring the middle. Moving him into the starting unit gives the Pacers actual size to pair with Siakam, which they desperately need to stop the bleeding.

Meanwhile, Nembhard is already playing heavy minutes—logging over 32 a night this season—and now he has to orchestrate whatever this jumbo-sized rotation is supposed to be.

For the fantasy sickos and prop bettors, Zubac getting starter minutes is the only actionable intel here. Expect a bump in his rebounding opportunities while the rest of the offense tries to figure out the new spacing.

We will find out exactly who is playing and if this experiment works when they tip off in Memphis. If they drop a third straight game with this new look, the panic meter in Indiana is going to break off the dial.