What We Learned About the Indiana Pacers: Week 2

Last week was excruciating for Indiana Pacers fans, with the team going 0-4 and losing those four games by a combined 18 points. As shorthanded as they are, the Pacers are battling valiantly even without George Hill, David West, C.J. Watson, Rodney Stuckey, and C.J. Miles. And now Roy Hibbert.

Solomon Hill Is Improving Every Day

Solomon Hill recorded 12 points and 5 reb0unds against Milwaukee. Against Washington, he finished with 14 points, 8 boards, and 2 assists. Those numbers were 12, 3, and 0 against Boston and 28, 6, and 1 (plus 3 steals) in the second Washington game.

Before November, Hill had never scored double digits in an NBA game. Then he did it in every game last week, setting a career high three times.

The first three games last week showed an efficient and confident Solomon Hill, but the home matchup versus Washington was an entirely different story. Hill looked for his own shot, attacked the rim, and showed a level of ballhandling he had previously not displayed. He carried the Pacers team through stretches of bad offense and brought them back to within 3 points in a game the Wizards once led by 22.

His ability off the bounce bears monitoring, as it was a boon to the offense as a whole and was something no other Pacer was regularly bringing to the table since Stuckey went down.

Donald Sloan Can Shoot and Score at an NBA Level

Donald Sloan made 39% of his 23 3-point attempts over the last four games while averaging 16 points per game. Sloan (like Solomon Hill) kept the Pacers close against the Wizards in the first contest, putting up a line of 31 points, 6 boards, and 7 assists as he went toe to toe with John Wall.

Though Washington took control in overtime, Sloan battled Wall until the end, hit the shot (with a friendly bounce) to force overtime, and never backed down. Sloan is competing hard every night, and his effort and aggression should be commended.

DAMO!!!

After looking utterly lost in his first few games, Pacer rookie Damjan Rudez averaged 5.8 points over the last four games, added in a couple of blocks, and hit some crucial shots late in the last Wizards game.

He’s not putting up All-Star production — and probably never will — but the Pacers didn’t expect him to. They signed him to be a solid contributor, and he’s showing signs of being able to live up to those expectations.

The Pacers Won’t Win Much until the Vets Get Healthy

The Pacers competed and had a chance at the end of every game last week, but lacked the firepower and overall talent level to bring the wins home. This will likely be a common theme until we see David West and Co. back on the court. Until then, expect a lot of ugly quarters.

The Indiana Pacers Week Ahead

Games: vs. Utah (Monday), at Miami (Wednesday), vs. Denver (Friday), at Chicago (Saturday)

Prediction: Pacers go 1-3, beating the Nuggets at home but losing to the Jazz, Miami, and Chicago

Last Week’s Prediction Results: 2-2

Season-Long Prediction Results: 2-2

What to watch for: Roy Hibbert’s hopeful return … A.J. Price shooting almost every time he touches the ball, but making them every time you yell at the TV for him shooting … Shayne Whittington, getting minutes and figuring out the NBA game … A good Donald Sloan week (matchups against Norris Cole, Ty Lawson, Kirk Hinrich, and Trey Burke) … David West getting closer to returning … Gordon Hayward’s homecoming … Lavoy Allen eating into Luis Scola’s minutes and helping on both ends of the ball … C.J. Miles coming off the bench, looking to make shots … Rodney Stuckey’s possible return … Luis Scola and Chris Copeland missing more free throws … A different Pacers player stepping up every game when needed … Frank Vogel continuing to tinker and find — sometimes strange — lineups that work … The backups continuing to catch up to the curve and playing better

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