Larry Bird Wants the Indiana Pacers to Score 105 Points Per Game
By Ryan Eggers
A lot of “generally betters” in the previous list would seemingly indicate that the team is at least three points better than it was last year.
This may be, or it may also be that the offense is simply more efficient and effective in its distribution, but not in the sense that it produces a higher volume of points. McMillan will be the key to figuring out which side the Pacers will be on of the two.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 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 previously stated facts about McMillan’s prior offenses are all important, though the stat most pertinent to the situation is the one that Bird is referencing — points per game. In his ten full seasons as coach, McMillan’s teams have been all across the board in PPG, scoring 97.7, 92.1, 97.1, 98.9, 88.8, 94.1, 95.4, 99.4, 98.1, and 96.3 points a contest, respectively.
The NBA as a whole didn’t score as much back then, especially in his years in Seattle, but these numbers prove something that we all already knew: if you have fewer possessions in a game, you’re going to score less.
The Pacers finished 11th in pace last season, which was by far their highest finish in the Vogel era. The Pacers also finished 17th in PPG, which is somewhat telling of how efficient (or inefficient) the offense ran at the faster pace. More evidence? The Pacers offensive rating last year was ranked 25th in the league (per Basketball Reference). That’s the lowest finish in the Vogel era (though they placed 23rd in the seasons prior to last).
This somewhat makes sense, though. Hill-Ellis-George-Turner-Mahinmi weren’t necessarily the prototype “fast-paced” starting five you’d want. The bench looked even worse. If you want to play fast, you need guys that will run.
How did Bird do in terms of remedying that situation?
That depends on how you feel about Teague. Teague was the playmaker of an offense that finished eighth in pace, but only finished .6 PPG higher than the Pacers. Everyone else that was added this offseason aren’t even arguably contributing to a faster offense. Young played in the 19th fastest offense and Jefferson played in the 17th fastest offense.
This doesn’t mean that no player on the roster is adaptable to change, it just means that literally no player has recent experience playing in an offense even close to the top five in pace.
The Pacers have the point guard capable of getting things going, but with only two effective catch and shooters (Miles and George) on the roster, a ball-handling shooting guard who needs time to create a shot (Ellis), and a bench that isn’t even sure how to score, let alone score fast, the team doesn’t have the assets to create an offense with the speed of last year’s Warriors or Thunder.
Next: Slide 4 of 4: A Few Scenarios