The Pacers’ Futile Quest to Grind Out Wins
By William Furr
The Indiana Pacers went 0-4 in week 12, losing four close games in a row.
They lost by 1 point to the woeful Philadelphia 76ers, fell by 9 to Minnesota Timberwolves in the infamous Mo Williams game, succumbed by 2 on a failed box out to the Detroit Pistons, and choked by 9 in overtime to a Charlotte Hornets team that was missing it’s two best players.
This was not a banner week for the Indiana Pacers by any means, but there are still things to learn and look at; without further ado, what we learned from the Pacers in week 12.
The Indiana Pacers are Trying to Grind Out Wins
The Indiana Pacers are currently tied for second to last in the NBA in fast break points at 8.8 per game. This is not ground breaking news; they were third to last in 2013-14, at 9.6 per game, and possess a number of, ahem, slower big men.
However, the 2013-2014 Pacers possessed a few things this year’s squad is missing; namely, Paul George, Lance Stephenson, a healthy George Hill, and a nearly impenetrable defense.
This Pacers squad will not be able to pile up wins on the back of a number-one defense and Paul George hitting timely shots. So they have to find a way to manufacture easy points.
Neither of Indiana’s healthy point guards is the slithery/fast type, and both Donald Sloan and C.J. Watson appear to be more comfortable walking the ball up than pushing the pace, but the team has to find a way to get buckets.
Getting Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles, and the host of shooters the Pacers now employ to keep their bench from floating away should be good for an offense that is stagnant and lacks the talent to eke out points in the half court.
Donald Sloan Is Up
The Pacers played all last week without George Hill, who is out indefinitely with a strained left groin. In the four games, Donald Sloan shot 14-of-25 (56%) from the field while posting a +8 in +/- for the week.
Compare this to the numbers of C.J. Watson, who has been starting in place of Hill: 12-of-28 (43%), and -24 for the week.
Their assist-to-turnover numbers also tell a critical tale for this Pacer’s team: Sloan’s rate was a fantastic 5:1 (15 assists, 3 turnovers), while Watson’s was merely 1.6:1 (13 assists, 8 turnovers).
Obviously George Hill is the starter when he comes back, and Watson does space the floor well with the second unit, but right now, Sloan is outplaying Watson. It might be better for the team (“I’ll take sentences I never thought I’d type for 100, please”) if Sloan starts while Hill is out and Watson comes off the bench.
Damo Has Knocked Cope out of the Rotation
In what is shaping up to be a season-long battle, Damjan Rudez has currently usurped Chris Copeland’s spot in the Indiana Pacer’s rotation. Both Rudez and Copeland are players with helpful skill sets on offense, and major flaws on defense.
Rudez is a deadeye shooter who needs just a bit more time to get a shot off than Cope, but makes mostly excellent decisions with the ball. He is also a crafty passer and offers a bit more height.
Copeland’s game is familiar to most of us. He has a crazy quick release from behind the arc and is never bashful about letting it fly. He also sports an occasionally nifty post game, but he is prone to bad “heat check” shots or turnovers.
Both are between cover-your-eyes bad and terrible on the defensive end, and Cope holds the advantage on the glass a bit, but Vogel appears ready to give Damo a chance. Damo did repay that faith a bit last week, shooting 46.7% (10-of-21) from the field and 38.5% (5-of-13) from behind the arc while finishing the week +14.
Shooting Woes Continue for the Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers had a rough week doing anything that involved putting a basketball through the net. They shot an ugly 69.1% from the charity stripe, 38.8% from the field, and 22.7% from behind the arc.
That is thoroughly ugly basketball, and has to get better for the Pacers to come away with some wins and not be left on the outside looking in come playoff time.
The Indiana Pacers Week Ahead
Games: at Houston (1/19), at Atlanta (1/21), at Miami (1/23)
Prediction: Hard to find a winnable game this week; Pacers go 0-3, and the fans’ restlessness grows
Last Week’s Prediction Results: 0-3
Season Long Prediction Results: 20-19
What to Watch For: Ian Mahinmi, smothering chicken again and re-taking the backup center slot … Aggressive Solomon Hill returning, after timid Solomon Hill kept his spot warm last week … C.J. Watson, fighting for his playing time against Donald Sloan … Roy Hibbert, doing his best to follow through on his proclamation “we need to shut up a little bit and do our job” and putting together a quietly solid season for himself … George Hill, again out indefinitely but reported to be returning sometime during this road trip … The Pacers looking to avenge getting drilled by the Hawks twice already this season … The Pacers maybe looking at some small-ball lineups to combat those Atlanta Hawks and their 3 point shooting … Luis Scola, Damjan Rudez, and Ian Mahinmi still shooting below 70% from the free throw line (and Mahinmi just barely above 30%) … Donald Sloan, attacking more heralded players and scoring with a variety of funky looking layups that somehow find the rim … David West, still not attacking the rim on offense and becoming over-reliant on jumpers … C.J. Miles, looking to rebound from a bad week (32% from the field) and find his stroke … George Hill, reminding us all why he makes $8 million a year, even when his stats aren’t great … Rodney Stuckey, being an NBA team’s third-best 3-point shooter…