What We Learned About the Indiana Pacers: Week 4

Week 4 was a slow week for the Indiana Pacers, but not an unsuccessful one. They went 1-1, beating the playoff-hopeful (but struggling) Charlotte Hornets 88-86 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Lance Stephenson struggled, Roy Hibbert was All-Star Hibbert, and Solomon Hill snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat with a tip-in of a Rodney Stuckey airball.

More from Pacers News

• 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
• Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
• 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
• 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
• Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?

The Pacers followed that up with an ugly loss to the Phoenix Suns, losing both Hibbert and Stuckey to injury (drink and drink again). The Suns overwhelmed the blue and gold with athleticism on the break and hot shooting from Gerald Green (23 points on 8-for-15 shooting, finished +24 on the night). And when Hibbert left after only playing 7 minutes, the Pacers lost their only way to slow the game down.

The silver linings? Hibbert and Stuckey’s injuries are reportedly minor (Hibbert with an ankle sprain, Stuckey with a “tripped over the cameramen who are still 5 feet too close to the action and landed wrong” wrist sprain). And the Pacers went .500 against two playoff-caliber teams.

Let’s take a look at what we learned from the Pacers these last two games.

Chris Copeland Is not a Number-One scoring Option

Chris Copeland has a beautiful 3-ball. A semi-open Cope 3 is a great finish to almost any Indiana Pacers offensive possession, and he’s certainly not gun-shy.

He’s been working hard to try to become a more rounded player, flashing bits of off-the-dribble skill and post-up friskiness, but has been mostly neutralized the past two games. His combined line is 5-of-15 from the field, 2-of-9 from behind the arc, 2 assists, 4 turnovers, and a combined +/- of -23. His lack of an top skill aside from shooting (ability to get open, post game, off-the-dribble game, passing, ball handling) has been exposed so far this season, and it’s clear he is miscast (albeit while forced due to injuries) as a lead scoring option.

This is not to say that Copeland is a bad player or that he shouldn’t continue to get minutes once the Pacers core returns, but he’s going to struggle when defenses can afford to put the best wing defender on him.

A.J. Price Is Probably Still the Same A.J. Price He Has Always Been

Last week, A.J. Price went 5-of-19 from the field and 2-of-10 from behind the arc with 4 assists in over 38 minutes of game time. He helped the Pacers out during his hot streak and has wonderfully served as a warm body with four. functioning limbs who can keep Donald Sloan from suffering from exhaustion. But Price is coming back to earth, and with Stuckey and C.J. Miles day-to-day to return from injury, another hardship exception may be difficult to come by. Best of luck in the future, Juice. We’ll always have week 3 of 2014.

The Injury Bug still Resides Within the Pacers Locker Room

The Pacers could be without George Hill, David West, C.J. Watson, C.J. Miles, Rodney Stuckey, Roy Hibbert, and of course Paul George for Monday’s game at Dallas.

Miles, Stuckey, and Hibbert are all day to day and could certainly play, but even if they do they may not be at 100%. If they don’t, the Pacers will have a total of eight active players while facing off against the top scoring team in the NBA.

The Free-Throw Shooting Woes Aren’t Going Away

The Pacers shot 30-of-44 (68.2%) from the line between the two games. Ian Mahinmi (3-of-7) and Luis Scola (4-of-6) “led” the way, but it’s been a team effort all season long.

On the bright side, as long as the team continues to miss free throws, Indiana Members Credit Union can continue to give away backpacks for all Pacer makes.

Lavoy Allen’s Start Wasn’t a Mirage

Lavoy Allen has continued to be impressive in extended minutes; in 23 minutes per game, Allen is averaging 7.4 points and 7.5 rebounds. He has a PER of 18, has a positive +/- per 100 possessions (+5.8) on a 5-8 team, is shooting 48% without getting many open looks, and is a tip-in machine on the offensive glass.

He’s second on the team among rotation players in PER, second in rebounds per game, and second in free-throw percentsge (behind C.J. Miles, who has only played 6 games).

My guess would be either Luis Scola or Ian Mahinmi starts losing minutes once David West returns from injury.

The Indiana Pacers Week Ahead

• Games: at Dallas, at San Antonio, vs Orlando, at Cleveland

• Prediction: Pacers go 1-3, beating Orlando but losing (and likely badly at least once or twice) on the road against the Texas Twosome and the talented (if not yet clicking) Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Last Week’s Prediction Results: 2-0

• Season-long Prediction Results: 4-6

• What to watch for: AJ Price shooting at will for a few more games… The return of Stuckey (again), Hibbert (again), and C.J. Miles (again)… Chris Copeland looking to bust a slump… Lavoy Allen’s play petitioning for more minutes… Shayne “I have the highest PER on the team technically” Whittington making the most of his garbage-time minutes… Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Stuckey fearlessly attacking the rim with mixed results… Frank Vogel’s face during every missed Pacers free throw… David West, George Hill, and C.J. Watson maybe actually getting closer to playing… C.J. Miles, carrying a negative PER so far this season… A rough stretch for Pacers fans to watch against top-flight competition… Solomon Hill making hustle plays all over the court, attacking the rim, and proving he belongs