Last season, up until the All-Star break, the Indiana Pacers were a force in the NBA. Everything after that was downhill and the reasons for the drastic decline are still unknown.
Some have speculated that locker room issues and other off-court drama contributed to the Pacers’ meltdown towards the playoffs, while others believer their poor play was rooted in a lack of ball movement.
I’d have to choose the latter.
Thanks to the Indianapolis Star’s Candace Buckner, I’d say Roy Hibbert and I are on the same page. She recently reported that Big Roy reached out the The Big Fundamental via text for advice on how they handle their business in San Antonio, along with some tips on how the Pacers can improve their ball movement.
Roy Hibbert said he texted #Spurs' Tim Duncan for advice on how "they go about their business" #Pacers would like to imitate their ball mvmt
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) September 30, 2014
Smart move by the big fella. The Spurs offense was a thing of beauty, especially during the playoffs last season. I’m sure every team in the league would love to mimic their ball movement.
The encouraging factor is that these beautiful plays like shown above are not terribly difficult to execute. I really believe that Roy can slip a screen like that and make the cross-court pass to a wide open knockdown shooter such as C.J. Miles.
Below is another great Spurs play, which the Pacers are easily capable of doing. I’ve seen David West throw a full-court baseball pass on a laser, surely he can make this pass out of the post to Hibbert or Mahinmi — or any cutting guard.
What I’m trying to say is there is no secret formula to the Spurs playbook. I’m sure Tim Duncan told Roy the same thing. It’s just great basic basketball.
This Pacers roster, sans Paul George and Lance Stephenson, won’t have anyone who can consistently create their own shot or make something out of nothing like those two could. They’ll have to rely on ball movement to see any kind of success.
If they can implement a solid offense with frequent ball movement, not only will it help them win games this season, but it will carry over for the return of PG. Then we’re talking about an Indiana team that moves the ball well and has a takeover superstar — a common trait for all NBA champions.