Indiana Pacers Lose to Cleveland Cavaliers: What We Learned

The Indiana Pacers traveled to Cincinnati last night to square off with an old rival in a new uniform: LeBron James. Superman has switched out his Miami Heat jersey for the Cleveland Cavaliers logo, but he still has the Pacers number.

Though the game remained competitive for a time, the Cavaliers broke it open in the third quarter and came out on top, 98-93. LeBron did a lot of damage.

It’s just preseason, so nobody cares. But we may have learned a few things from this Central Division showdown.

Paul George Is an Even Better Defender than We Thought

LeBron James scored 26 points last night in just over 2.5 quarters. James spent the third quarter practicing what looks like a Euro-step-back fadeaway midrange jumper. That’s not even fair.

It’s likewise unfair that Solomon Hill had to try to match up with James, but the fact remains that it didn’t go well. James was mainly checked by Solomon Hill and Rodney Stuckey throughout the night, with Chris Copeland and even Damjan Rudez (don’t watch those plays, please, for your own good) taking brief turns. It just didn’t matter who it was. (C.J. Miles had the night off.)

James was very clearly the best player on the court, and while we knew that coming in, we did learn a bit from these matchups anyways. For one, Solomon Hill doesn’t appear to be a good enough defender to make up for his lack of ability to stretch the defense. Copeland got hot late, and reminded us all what he’s capable of on the offensive end.

Based on what we saw last night, Copeland gives Indiana the best chance to win, and he should get the first crack at starting at the 3.

Damjan Rudez Isn’t Ready for Real Minutes

Damjan Rudez doesn’t seem to have his feet under him on an NBA court yet. He badly missed on some open corner 3s, looked bad on his only attempt in the post, and failed to capitalize on being guarded by the much smaller Dion Waiters.

On defense, he was sometimes tasked with guarding the opposing 2/3 and seemed to have absolutely no concept of how to move his feet, repeatedly getting blown by off the dribble. The team had high hopes for this signing, but it’s clear Rudez will need more time before he’s ready to contribute regularly.

Copeland gives Indiana the best chance to win, and he should get the first crack at starting at the 3.

Rodney Stuckey Is a Bargain on a Veteran’s Minimum Contract

Rodney Stuckey has been around for a while with the Detroit Pistons, and has played multiple positions. He has started, come off the bench, and played under multiple different coaches. It seemed the book on him as a player (good off the bounce, poor shooter, unafraid of contact, mediocre defense) had already been written, but Stuckey was impressive against Cleveland.

He made a few pretty passes, had a few nifty cuts to the rim past sleeping defenders, made his free throws, and got fouled twice on 3-point attempts. He gamely checked whomever he was matched up with (including LeBron a few times), and played good transition defense. He did miss a few layups, and made 1 or 2 bad passes, but Stuckey was a positive overall for the Pacers. He’ll make some money next year if he can play like this all season and will turn out to be a bargain for the Pacers.

The Pacers Will Still Play Solid Team Defense

There will be nights that the Indiana Pacers simply are facing a talent deficit they can’t overcome (we started to see that in the 3rd quarter before James ended his night).

But this team is going to compete their butts off on defense, do everything possible to take the fast break out of the equation, and dare you to challenge Big Roy in the paint. The defense alone will still win them some games against mid- and lower-level competition.

Solomon Hill Could Be a Useful Offensive Player – If Paired with a Shooter on the Other Wing

Solomon Hill made some nice cuts, had some tough finishes, and generally seemed comfortable around the rim when not being embarrassed by Brendan Haywood. However, he didn’t hit a jumper all night, and looked uncomfortable off the dribble. He also appeared unsure of when to rise up, when to pass, and when to ball fake. Solomon can still be a productive player, assuming he’s paired with a shooter who can space the floor and allow him to work off the ball.

The Pacers Will Struggle Against the Association’s Best

With Kyrie Irving on the sideline, and Kevin Love playing one ineffective half, the Pacers still found themselves down 17 in the third quarter. Not every team is going to have LeBron James (obviously), but I would guess this won’t be an isolated incident.

There are just going to be nights where the Pacers are outclassed from a talent perspective, and it will take some luck (or a hot shooting night from Chris Copeland and the rest of the shooters) for the Pacers to hang in the game.

Chris Copeland Needs Time to Grow into a Small Forward

Chris Copeland has spent the bulk of his career as a nominal “big man” playing the 4 and even occasionally the 5. Transitioning to the 3 will take time. He will struggle defending smaller, quicker players, and he clearly isn’t comfortable coming off screens to free himself for open looks. These are things that can be learned in time, and his shooting and sneaky off the bounce game should help the offense immediately.

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What We Learned: Indiana Pacers Loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers

By William Furr | Oct 16, 2014