In the midst of a competitive conference finals matchup with the New York Knicks, a glaring hole has been exposed in the Indiana Pacers rotation – the center depth. Veteran bigs Myles Turner, Thomas Bryant and Tony Bradley have all struggled to contain the physicality of Knicks center’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson – leading to the Knicks out-rebounding the Pacers in four of the five games played.
With Turner and Bryant set for free agency, and the team’s decision on Bradley’s club option unannounced, there’s no guarantees for Indiana’s center rotation next season. To fix this, in NBA Draft On SI’s latest mock draft, the Pacers select Georgetown big Thomas Sorber with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2025 Draft.
Standing at 6-foot-10 and 255 lbs., Sorber already weighs more than each of the three Pacers big’s, giving Indiana much needed size and physicality to work with. At the NBA Draft Combine, Sorber also measured in a 7-foot-6 wingspan, combining his strength with a lanky set of arms.
His physical tools would be a big help in series like these for Indiana, when dealing with bigger bodies like Towns and Robinson. Sorber could hold his own on the glass with Robinson – or at least better than the current Pacer rotation – as he averaged 8.5 rebounds per game in his freshman season at Georgetown.
While he struggles against smaller guards, his foot-speed should be just enough to stay in front of a mobile big like Towns on the perimeter, something Turner has struggled with throughout the series. If Towns were to try and post Sorber up, he’s got the strength and rim protection to go toe-to-toe with Towns, averaging 2 blocks per game last season.
While the Pacers still have work to do this season, looking ahead to the draft never hurts, and selecting Sorber is something they shouldn’t pass up on if given the chance.
