In the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers exposed an obvious weakness: a serious lack of center depth. Three veteran centers, Myles Turner, Thomas Bryant and Tony Bradley, were clearly unable to cope with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, causing the team to lose rebounding in four of the five games.

With Turner and Bryant about to enter the free agent market and Bradley's team option undecided, the Pacers' inside rotation prospects for next season are full of uncertainty. For this reason, NBA Draft On SI predicts in its latest mock draft that the Pacers will select Georgetown University center Thomas Sorber with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2025 draft to strengthen the restricted area defense.

At 6'10" and 255 pounds, Sauber is bigger than the three centers on the Pacers. His wingspan was measured at 7'6" during the NBA draft combine, and he has a combination of strength and length, making him a natural rim protector on defense.

Facing big men with high confrontation intensity like Towns and Robinson, the arrival of Sauber can bring much-needed physical confrontation and rebounding ability to the Pacers. In his rookie season at Georgetown University, he averaged 8.5 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, showing a strong rebounding sense and rim protection instinct.

Although this season has not yet ended and the Pacers are still fighting for a spot in the finals, looking to the future and making plans in advance are also compulsory courses for the team management.