Michael Porter Jr. has already made nine three-pointers in Brooklyn’s first two games, according to ESPN’s box scores. The Pacers should spend Sunday making sure his evening involves more than finding the next shot. Put his defensive assignment into the action, make him negotiate screens, and require decisions before he gets the ball back.
That’s my priority for Pacers vs Nets on Oct. 25: use the offense to make Porter work at both ends. Brooklyn played in Cleveland on Saturday. Indiana should test that turnaround with purposeful movement, rather than treating the Nets’ winless start as permission to trade jumpers.
ESPN’s game listing has tipoff at 6 p.m. Eastern at Barclays Center, with Indiana entering 1-1 and Brooklyn 0-2. The records make this look like a chance to recover from Dallas. Porter’s shooting makes it a game that needs a specific plan.
Porter has earned more attention than the record
In Brooklyn’s opener against Charlotte, Porter scored 26 points and went 5-for-11 from three, per ESPN. On Saturday in the loss at Cleveland, he scored 28 and made 4-of-9 from outside. Combine those lines and he’s 9-for-20 from three, or 45 percent.
Those shots have mattered late, too. The Associated Press recap carried by ESPN says Porter’s fourth three in Cleveland brought Brooklyn within 123-121 with 8.1 seconds left. The Nets lost 125-121, but Indiana should remember how close a game can get when a shooter keeps finding chances. A comfortable margin will still require attention to him away from the ball.
I would have the defender responsible for Porter stay attached when another Net drives, unless that drive has become an immediate threat at the rim. A casual step toward the paint can leave a long recovery to the perimeter. Make Brooklyn earn that help before offering Porter space to catch and shoot.
The other half of that assignment starts when Indiana has possession. Whoever Porter guards should be available to screen for Tyrese Haliburton. That gives the Pacers a way to involve him without asking Haliburton to spend the entire night trying to beat the same defender off the dribble.
Make the screen produce a decision
I want Indiana to use that screen as a question for Brooklyn. If Porter switches, Haliburton can decide whether to attack the matchup. If Brooklyn keeps its assignments, the screener should move immediately into the space the coverage leaves. A slip toward the basket or a quick return pass can be more valuable than waiting for a switch that never comes.
The aim is to make Porter react more than once during a possession. Screen, move, and be ready to receive the next pass. If the ball swings away, keep him occupied with a cut or another screening action rather than letting the possession turn into four players watching Haliburton.
Porter’s Cleveland box score includes four steals, according to ESPN. Loose passes offered in the name of playing faster could give him offense without making Brooklyn defend at all. Indiana needs accurate passes and screens with a purpose, not activity for its own sake.
The schedule strengthens the case for testing him. ESPN’s game dates show the Nets played Saturday evening in Cleveland before Sunday’s home game. I would make Brooklyn show it can communicate through repeated actions on that turnaround. Run another screen when the Nets handle the first one, and keep the ball moving until a defender falls behind.
Haliburton can create pressure without forcing shots
This is also a way to use Haliburton without demanding a scoring rescue. He had 18 points and seven assists against Dallas, per ESPN’s Friday box score. The Pacers lost 121-105. We covered the first-half damage against the Mavericks; Sunday’s offensive task deserves its own focus.
Haliburton should be able to finish a successful possession without taking the shot. Bring Porter’s assignment into a screen, draw a second defender’s attention, and get the ball to the player that attention frees. If Brooklyn handles the first action, move into the next one before the defense can settle.
Pascal Siakam offers another place to send the ball. ESPN lists him averaging 26.5 points through Indiana’s first two games. I would look for an early Siakam touch when Brooklyn has spent the opening part of a possession tracking a Haliburton screening action. Let him attack while defenders are still changing positions, rather than asking him to begin again against a set defense.
That follows the argument in our look at Haliburton and Siakam as closing options. Indiana can benefit from both players shaping a possession. There is no reason to save that cooperation for the final minutes.
Watch what Porter has to do between shots
My first check Sunday will be whether Porter’s defensive assignment is participating. If that player stays parked on the perimeter while Haliburton works elsewhere, Indiana is passing up a chance to make a dangerous Brooklyn perimeter scorer spend energy on defense.
The next check is whether the Pacers stay with the idea after a missed shot. A possession can generate a good attempt and still end empty. Abandoning movement to chase an immediate answer would let Brooklyn defend a simpler game. Keep asking its defenders to exchange assignments, follow cutters and recover to the ball.
Porter may make difficult threes anyway. Indiana’s response should be to make every trip back on defense an assignment for him. By the next Brooklyn possession, I want him to have done more than wait for another chance to shoot.