Jayne Kamin-Ocnea-USA Today Sports
For the second consecutive year, the Indiana Pacers made a first round mistake in their selection.
They simply over-drafted for the talent and player that they acquired — it’s just a mistake. While striking a deal is not always guaranteed, we saw numerous teams move around on Thursday, some not just one, but two or even three times. Indiana however, they stayed put with the No. 23 overall pick and then selected Arizona senior small forward Solomon Hill.
Hill was expected to be drafted on Thursday night, but more in that mid-to-late first second round range. Indiana took him at No. 23.
It’s mind-boggling. If the Pacers really wanted Hill, they could’ve moved down, maybe even another 20 or 30 picks and still got him. It’s just baffling that Indiana would select Hill where they did. This decision comes on the heels of the team’s selection of Miles Plumlee in 2012. Plumlee’s projections and expectations were similar to Hill in which the Pacers could have moved down and still drafted him a year ago.
Now let’s be serious, Indiana has built themselves up through the draft, so there’s no questioning their strategy and at this point, they already have the makings of a squad that can compete for an NBA Championship.
While that’s good and all though, over-drafting just doesn’t make any sense, regardless of whether or not you can complete a deal. Indiana should have taken the best available player in that scenario — and there were numerous wing players who followed that exact selection.
Puzzling move.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
