8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

The Pacers were fun in that win, but reality is about to smack them in the face

By Ben Gibson

INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 25: Myles Turner #33 and Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers poses for a portrait during the Pacers Media Day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on September 25, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 25: Myles Turner #33 and Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers poses for a portrait during the Pacers Media Day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on September 25, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Indiana Pacers picked up a win against the Brooklyn Nets to open the season, but the next few games will expose their flaws.

That was fun. We haven’t seen the Indiana Pacers score that many points that quickly in quite some time. Their 120 offensive rating was something we only saw seven times last season so it’s hard not to just feel good about this Indiana team.

It was only one game, but the Pacers finally delivered on the promise of playing at a faster pace.

Then news of Myles Turner’s injury appeared and the reality of the NBA season began to set in. Myles shouldn’t be out for too long, but a concussion isn’t anything to mess with. Even with Turner, there were issues in the win over the Brooklyn Nets.

The defense was nearly non-existent at times. It wasn’t a matter of pace, either. The Pacers’ 111.9 defensive rating is unsafe at any speed. That’s a Ralph Nader joke, kids.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

But back to life, back to reality: The Nets were the perfect team for the Pacers to face if they want to run and gun down the floor. Without a capable rim-defender, there was little Brooklyn could do to slow down Indiana. Victor Oladipo’s breakneck speed mixed with non-defending bigs meant he and the rest of the Pacers had a green light running down the floor.

Even without the fast break points, Indiana had little trouble charging the basket to score or dumping the ball off to another Pacer for an easy bucket.

That won’t be the case in the next few games. Jusuf Nurkic, Hassan Whiteside, Karl-Anthony Towns (and Gorgui Dieng), Steven Adams, and Pau Gasol are in the Pacers future and some of the better rim defenders in the NBA. Pushing the pace will still result in points, but if the opposing defense has any time to gather themselves the Pacers will find themselves under siege.

Darren Collison and Cory Joseph played exceptionally well in the first game as well, but it is hard to imagine that as something the Pacers will get consistently from them. There is a reason the Pacers decided many years ago that Collison wasn’t the point guard of the future.

Maybe Domantas Sabonis and Bojan Bogdanovic can shoot the lights out this season, but they are going a combined 12 of 16 (30 points total) every night. Counting on Sabonis to score consistently isn’t a wise bet at the moment considering how poorly he was on offense in his rookie season.

Next: What’s the worst that could happen with these Indiana Pacers?

Perhaps I’m overly pessimistic, but these next few games — especially without Myles Turner — might recalibrate any optimism created by the opening night win.

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