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Looking for Proof that the Indiana Pacers Can Average 105 Points Per Game

By Debbie Considine

Oct 6, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) looks on during the game against the Chicago Bulls at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won 115-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) looks on during the game against the Chicago Bulls at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won 115-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indiana Pacers have a stated goal to score at least 105 ppg this year. History says it’s possible, but can this revamped squad actually make it happen?

Larry Bird wants to see the Indiana Pacers score at least 105 points per game this year.

It seems like it has been forever since a Pacers team averaged 105 points per game. But it was actually only seven seasons ago when the blue and gold reached the level of scoring 

Leading the way to the 2009 Pacers 105.1 ppg average was Danny Granger with 25.8 ppg. Granger had only one single-digit scoring game and 30+ points in 19 games. The rest of the scoring came primarily from the other starters.

Getting Buckets: Who Led the Way

Second in scoring behind Granger was T.J. Ford with 14.9 ppg. Troy Murphy not only averaged 14.3 ppg in 2009 but pulled down 11.8 rebounds as well. Marquis Daniels contributed 13.6 ppg, and Jarrett Jack chipped in 13.1 ppg. Mike Dunleavy averaged15.9 ppg but played in only 18 games during the 2009 season.

The team’s bench and centers contributed significantly less to the Pacers’ scoring. Brandon Rush was the Pacers’ leading bench scorer with 8.1 ppg. In his rookie season, Roy Hibbert led all Pacers centers in scoring with 7.1 ppg with Rasho Nesterovic not far behind with 6.8 ppg. Although Jeff Foster had only 6.1 ppg, he was second on the team in rebounding with 6.9 rpg.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

Stacking Up Against the Competition

As a team, the Pacers were fifth overall in scoring in 2009. They tied for fourth with the New Jersey Nets in 3-point field goals with 652. Their 2568 two-point field goals put them in 11th place in the league. The Pacers were only 19th in getting to the free throw line with only 1525 points made from the charity stripe.

Even though the Pacers scored over 105 points per game in 2009, they finished with only a 36-46 record and missed a playoff berth of the Detroit Pistons by three games.

So what kept the Pacers from having a winning season and out of the NBA Playoffs?

This is an instance where one has to know how a statistic is calculated and specifically what a statistics doesn’t account for.

The team total scoring statistic doesn’t take injuries into account. Jack was the only player to play all 82 games. In addition to Dunleavy being limited to 18 games by knee issues, Daniels played in only 54 games. Granger played only 67 games.

Defensive Woes

Defense was the other issue. Not only were the 2009 Pacers fifth in scoring, they were fifth in opponent scoring as well. The 105.1 ppg the Pacers averaged was topped by the 106.2 their opponents scored.

Specifically, opponents outscored the Pacers 1,857-1,525 from the free throw line. The 2009 Pacers’ 652 three-pointers topped their opponents’ 569 baskets from the 3-point line, and Pacers opponents edged the team 2,572-2,568 in two-point field goals.

On the positive side, they outscored their opponents from the 3-point line by a 652-569 margin in coach Jim O’Brien’s long-range-happy offense. The 1,725 two-point baskets the Pacers made during the 2009 season were just a hair fewer than the 1,729 their opponents racked up.

Can the Current Pacers Get to 105 Points Per Game?

The 2017 Pacers have an advantage over their 2009 counterparts in getting to 105 points per game. Last season, seven players scored in double digits for either the Pacers or the teams they played for, as opposed to just six for the 2009 Pacers.

The following players averaged in double-digits last year in Indiana and remain with the team: Paul George, Monta Ellis, C.J. Miles, and Myles Turner. They are joined by offseason acquisitions Jeff Teague made (15.9 ppg for the Atlanta Hawks), Thaddeus Young (15.1 ppg for the Brooklyn Nets), and Al Jefferson (10.2 points for the Charlotte Hornets).

During the preseason, the Pacers exceeded Bird’s goal of 105 points per game by averaging 107.2 ppg, which was 1.7 ppg more than their opponents scored. Although the Pacers averaged the seventh highest points per game during the preseason, they were 22nd in points allowed.

But injuries could derail the Pacers the same way they affected their 2009 counterparts. Miles played only one preseason game and played in only 64 games in 2016 and 70 in 2015. Aaron Brooks saw action in only two preseason games because of knee issues. But the good news is Brooks was able to participate in a full practice two days in a row as of Oct. 24.

Additionally, Jefferson appeared in only 47 games for the Hornets in 2016 and 65 in 2015.  Injuries limited Rodney Stuckey to only 56 games in 2016 and 70 in 2015.

But perhaps this year’s Pacers will be able to maintain their high-octane scoring from the preseason once the games actually begin to count tonight.

Next: Reliability – The Indiana Pacers Underrated Strength

However, as the statistics from the 2009 Pacers show, scoring over 105 points per game is not necessarily a guarantee of a winning season. Still, Bird has set a goal. And getting there will likely be job one for Nate McMillan as he tries to remake the franchise identity.

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