We’re counting the days until NBA basketball is back in our lives, so let’s pass the time with some overly confident Pacers predictions that we can’t fully justify.
We are so close to real Pacers basketball you guys.
As of this post being published, there are 26 days remaining until the regular season begins and we finally have real things to talk about again. Hallelujah.
We still have to get through these 26 days though, so I’ve decided to pass the time partaking in a popular activity this time of year: making random predictions loosely based in facts/anecdotal evidence that may or may not pan out. Let’s get right to it.
1. Myles Turner will be an All-Star
The East, in its infinite garbageness, lost three of its front court All-Star players this offseason: Jimmy Butler, Paul Millsap and someone named Paul. When I think about who will fill those three empty spots, it’s actually kind of hard to think of a good list.
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The East needs to be saved from itself.
Gordon Hayward will likely make it, Kristaps Porzingis has a good shot and, if he stays healthy, Joel Embiid is an almost lock to be voted in. If things in New York start terribly and Embiid misses significant time to start the year, the ballot is wide open for Turner.
Who else would even challenge him? Hassan Whiteside? He’s not even the best player on his own team. Al Horford? I don’t think Boston is getting three All-Stars. Carmelo Anthony? He might not even be in the East anymore.
2. Victor Oladipo won’t even get All-Star buzz
Moving to the backcourt, Victor Oladipo faces much stiffer competition if he wants to earn his first All-Star nod. Every guard on last year’s team should have a similar argument for this year’s squad, with a potentially injured Isaiah Thomas as the only exception.
Meanwhile, Bradley Beal in Washington, Khris Middleton in Milwaukee and
Dion Waiters tha God
Goran Dragic in Miami will all be making compelling cases as well.
Oladipo would have to seriously go off from opening night to even make his way into the conversation, and I just don’t see that happening. He’ll probably have good numbers, he might even score 20 a game, but once #NBAVote season hits, we won’t be hearing Oladipo’s name all that much.
3. Ike Anigbogu will have a better rookie season than T.J. Leaf
Injury concerns make force me to walk this one back after the season, but Lance Stephenson needs a pick-and-roll partner in the absence of Né Prêt (bon soir, sweet prince), and Anigbogu is a picture perfect template to fill in.
A lot of draftniks were giving Anigbogu some first round buzz back in June, but nagging knee issues helped Kevin Pritchard swoop in and steal him with the 46th overall pick. He’s got the chance to be an absolute monster if things click. I’m talking putback dunks, lob dunks, dunks in a box, dunks with a fox, you get the idea.
The reason I’m more bullish on Anigbogu’s odds to impress this season than Leaf’s have more to do with the rest of the roster than with the two rookies. There just isn’t much need for what Leaf can do well, and nobody but Myles Turner even remotely matches Anigbogu’s role.
4. One of Darren Collison or Bojan Bogdanovich won’t end the season in Indiana
If Pritchard and the gang are really trying to grind out every win, then this gets less likely. That said, there’s a good chance both of these guys have a market in February, and the Pacers should really listen if that’s the case, especially if draft picks are involved.
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The Cavaliers could be in desperate need of a point guard if Isaiah Thomas struggles with his hip and Derrick Rose opens his mouth between now and 2018, and you can’t spell “stopgap” without Darren Collison.
Bojan Bogdanovic has already been part of one deadline deal, and his skillset is the same as it was when the Wizards traded for him. All it takes is one contender whose bench needs some buckets in the worst way, and Bogdanovic could be on his fourth team in two seasons.
5. Myles Turner will shoot at least 37 percent from 3-point range
Turner showed marked improvement in his long range game just from the start of last season to the end, as I noted here, so it’s not unreasonable to expect a similar improvement after several months of offseason training.
With Turner, however, the percentage isn’t the biggest issue with his 3-point game. It’s shooting enough of them that really matters. Turner was notorious last year for letting fly just a maddening foot or two inside the arc, one of the least efficient shots in the game.
Hopefully this season, he can get into the rhythm of turning those into 3s, and if that means his percentage dips a smidge, I’m ok with taking the L on this prediction. The Pacers of 2020 and beyond will thank him for it.
6. The Pacers will have the 22nd best offense and the 23rd best defense
Last year, the Pacers ended the season with the 15th best offense and the 14th best defense. Then some stuff happened this summer, so they probably won’t repeat on those rankings.
Honestly, these numbers are a complete and total guess. They seem about right to me based on where the Pacers will likely be in the playoff picture: solidly above the worst of the worst, but not quite pseudo-competitive either.
If I had to choose which number I felt more confident about, I would likely say, “I don’t have to choose because this post is entirely my design and I will not take creative direction from the likes of you.”
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I would choose offense though.