NBA Finals: Every player making their debut in Pacers vs Thunder this week

The NBA Finals begin tomorrow, with a high-stakes clash between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder

Published on: Jun 5, 2025, 07:40:15 IST

Edited by Yash Nitish Bajaj

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The NBA Finals begin tomorrow, with a high-stakes clash between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. This is the Thunder’s first finals outing ever since they lost the 2012 season to the Miami Heat. For the Pacers, this will be their first time in the finals court following Reggie Miller’s time in 2000.

Chet Holmgren will make his NBA Finals debut on Thursday (AP)

Putting both teams together, only four players have played a Finals game before. Out of these, only three have won championships. The swathe of fresh talent being pushed from both sides is bound to add more intrigue to what has already been an interesting matchup this time around.

Players making NBA Finals debut for OKC

1) Shai-Gilgeous Alexander (PG)

2) Chet Holmgren (PF)

3) Aaron Wiggins (SG)

4) Jalen Williams (F)

5) Luguentz Dort (G)

6) Jaylin Williams (F)

7) Branden Carlson (C)

8) Ousmane Dieng (F)

9) Alex Ducas (G)

10) Adam Flager (F)

11) Isaiah Hartenstein (C)

12) Isaiah Joe (SG)

13) Dillon Jones (F)

14) Ajay Mitchell (G)

15) Nikola Topic (G)

16) Cason Wallace (G)

17) Kenrich Williams (SF)

Already named as league MVP and the Western Conference Finals MVP for this season, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is making bounds and raising hopes for the Thunder’s victory. His stats from this season demonstrate an average of 29.8 points, 6.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. Luguentz Dort and SGA command the longest time with the Thunder since joining them in 2019. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were picked by the Thunder in the first round back in 2022.

Players making NBA Finals debut for Indiana Pacers

1) Tyrese Haliburton (PG)

2) Myles Turner (C)

3) Bennedict Mathurin (SG)

4) Obi Toppin (PF)

5) TJ McConnell (PG)

6) Andrew Nembhard (PG)

7) James Johnson (PF)

8) Tony Bradley (C)

9) RayJ Dennis (G)

10) Enrique Freeman (F)

11) John Furphy (F)

12) Isaiah Jackson (SF)

13) Quenton Jackson (G)

14) Ben Sheppard (G)

15) Jarace Walker (F)

With an 18.8 points average, 9.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, Tyrese Haliburton has grown over the persona attached with his game after being voted as the most overrated player in the league in a poll taken by The Athletic.

Who’s played and won before?

The Pacers have a clear edge over the Thunder when it comes to experienced players. Alex Caruso (Thunder) defeated the Heat in six during his time playing for the Lakers in 2020. Pascal Siakam (Pacers) won over the Warriors in six as part of the Raptors in 2019. Aaron Nesmith (Pacers) lost against the Warriors in six as a part of the Celtics in 2022. Thomas Bryant (Pacers) defeated the Heat in five with the Nuggets in 2023.

The match will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN+ at 8:30 PM ET.

By Stuti Gupta

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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