'Hard things are hard'. Undermanned Pacers prepare for daunting early-season schedule

The first 10 games are a gauntlet. And they're facing it without Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and the injured T.J. McConnell

Back in 2016, Rick Carlisle visited the West Wing of the White House.

“At the time, President (Barack) Obama had a little plaque on his desk that one of the senators had given him,” Carlisle said this week as the Pacers prepared for their opener at home Thursday against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. “It had four words:

`Hard things are hard’.

“The NBA season is hard, so you’ve got to have the right kind of vibe and attitude and sort of defiant enthusiasm to take on the challenges we’re going to face. You look at our first 10 games, they’re daunting. So look, we’ve got to stay in the now. This is a great, great opportunity. We’ve got guys playing point guard for the first time in their lives. And they’re going to be playing against the NBA champions. So it’s a great challenge, but a great opportunity, and we’re going to make the most of it.”

Not only have they lost Tyrese Haliburton to Achilles surgery and Myles Turner to free agency, but T.J. McConnell will be out several weeks with a hamstring injury. And this is the schedule they’re going to have to survive in the early weeks.

Home against OKC.

At Memphis.

At Minnesota.

At Dallas.

Home against Atlanta.

Home against Golden State.

Home against the Bucks in Myles Turner’s return to Indy.

Home against the Nets.

At Denver.

At Golden State.

Yikes.

“I’ve talked to our team a lot about grit and where grit got us last year, to remind those guys who were here last year and to let our new guys know,” Carlisle said. “Grit is a lot of what this is going to be about. It’s an unbending commitment to perseverance in the long haul. We don’t know what this year is going to look like...but as I’ve said, we’re going to continue to develop this team and try to maximize the guys we have available. It’s our duty to our fans, to put the most competitive product we can out there.”

They will be led this year by Pascal Siakam, who was tremendous during the regular season and even better in the post-season. He chafed at the idea that he’ll be the Pacers’ offensive go-to guy -- the Pacers are a democratic outfit that lets the game determine who gets the shots -- but he knows how hard it’s going to be this season.

In Vegas, the over-under is 37.5 victories. I’ll say, anything close to .500 and a playoff appearance would be a special accomplishment.

“It’s obviously going to be interesting without Ty, but I’m excited about the opportunity everyone has just taking a step up,” Siakam said. “We have to rally even more as a team. We’re definitely going to need each otherand I think we’ll have to lean on each other even more.

“We’re going to miss Ty, but I think our identity is there and we should be able to continue it and be who we are, regardless of who’s playing...”

The last two years, the Pacers have won with depth. Heading into the season, they’re lacking, if just a bit. Center? Good luck figuring out that rotation. There are four players vying for minutes. Expect a center-by-committee approach this season. This isn’t last year’s NBA finalist team. It’s not even close. But this gap year, of sorts, doesn’t have to be a lost season.

The Pacers took a necessary and welcome step toward solidifying the franchise for years to come by extending Aaron Nesmith to a two-year, $40.4 million contract that will keep him in Indy through the 2028-29 season. That keeps him on the same long-term schedule that will see Nesmith continue to grow alongside Haliburton, Siakam and Andrew Nembhard.

Pretty good for a player who was traded out of Boston and once looked to Twitter (it was still Twitter back then) and saw a cartoon of Spongebob Squarepants holding a paper clip and a piece of string. The caption read: “What the Celtics gave up for (Malcolm Brogdon).”

How’s that deal look now?

“It’s awesome,” Nesmith said of the extension. “Second contract is a big deal for a lot of guys and for this one, it was really just stamping that I want to bring a championship to this city and continue to build this thing up. That was all this deal was about.”

Said Siakam: “He’s one of those guys who works super hard. Well deserved (contract extension), for sure; he’s a big part of our team. Provides space, can guard literally anybody on defense. He’s a big part of what we do, the way we want to play. He fits perfectly and I’m glad we were able to get that deal done.”

Again, this is going to be a brutal start. If they can finish 3-7 or 4-6 in the first 10 games, that should be seen as quite an accomplishment. This is going to be a work in progress, especially early.

But hey, the Pacers, who will watch the Eastern Conference Champion banner raised to the roof during a brief pre-game ceremony Thursday, know all about working through tough circumstances. Grit and togetherness and depth (once McConnell returns) will once again make them a competitive team.

Hard things are hard, after all.