Indiana Pacers Settle Into the Middle of the Pack in the Power Rankings
By Ben Gibson
The second batch of power rankings have arrived and the Indiana Pacers find themselves slipping into the middle of the pack.
There have been enough ugly, no good, terrible outings by the Indiana Pacers this season for anyone to drop them to the bottom of the power rankings, but they’ve managed to remain in the middle of the pack.
The Pacers dropped back to an average ranking of 18.5, a total of five spots down from their average the week before.
Things likely would have been worse had Indiana not played their most complete game of the season against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Breaking out of their slump and knocking off a Bulls team that started the season off hot was impressive even if Chicago was on the tail end of a back-to-back.
What do the experts have to say about this Indiana team? Let’s take a look.
@Jeremy_Woo. Sports Illustrated. JEREMY WOO. 17. Jumped the gun on these guys, who have seriously struggled to defend, but they’ve got enough talent and experience to make this work. I’m staying patient. (Last Week: 12th) — <a href=
ESPN. MARC STEIN. 15. The afterglow stemming from Myles Turner’s glittering debut — when he became just the third player (since blocks became an official NBA stat in 1973-74) to ring up at least 30 points, 15 boards and four swats in a season opener in Indy’s OT triumph over visiting Dallas — didn’t last long. Friday night’s fall-from-ahead loss in Brooklyn, followed by a heavy defeat in Chicago, quickly turned the mood glum around town, especially since Indy native Jeff Teague is off to an unexpectedly disappointing start as a Pacer.<br />(Last week: 8) — <a href=. @ESPNSteinLine
MATT MOORE. 15. The Pacers looked great on opening night. Then it’s like they left their bodies and were transported to another plane, with their empty husks getting ran by the Nets and Hoiberg’s Ghosts of All-Stars past.. (Last week: 8) — <a href=. @MattMooreCBS. CBS Sports
@johnschuhmann. NBA. JOHN SCHUHMANN. 18. The Pacers are trying to run, but beat the Bulls handily with only two fast-break points in a slow-paced game on Saturday, because Jeff Teague took care of the ball and finally made some shots. Their starting lineup has played the most minutes in the league, in part because their bench hasn’t been very good. Like the Pistons, they’ve been much better defensively at home than on the road. Unlike the Pistons, they’re at home for most of November. After visiting Charlotte on Monday, they play nine of their next 11 games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. (Last week: 21) — <a href=
15. The struggle to find themselves remains an ongoing process for the Indiana Pacers. Before his 21-point performance provided temporary relief for fans worried the George Hill trade was a massive mistake, Jeff Teague had been averaging 9.8 points and 7.0 assists per game on .246/.111/.739 shooting splits.<br />An adjustment period was to be expected for Teague and Thaddeus Young, but the Pacers are hoping that was a breakthrough to aid an offense currently relying on Paul George and Myles Turner to shoulder the load.(Last week: 17) — <a href=. @GeraldBourguet. HoopsHabit. GERALD BOURGUET
Next: The 7 Biggest Questions for the Indiana Pacers
Indiana faces the Charlotte Hornets tonight, a team that swept them in all three meetings last season. This time the Pacers have different roster and plan, but will they have the same results?