Power Rankings: Indiana Pacers moving out of the back of the pack

The Indiana Pacers aren’t a good team in most NBA experts eyes, but they are mildly surprised with the team’s 3-3 start.

We all know that reality will hit the Indiana Pacers at some point.

We love Victor Oladipo knocking down game-winners and playing like an All-Star. We love seeing Domas Sabonis being perfect. We love seeing Darren Collison play the best basketball of his career over these first six games — and 25th in the NBA in plus-minus.

But it can’t last, can it?

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Probably not, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. The Pacers are supposedly rebuilding, but right now Oladipo and Sabonis think they can build Rome in a day. Al Jefferson isn’t dead weight and Joe Young made a non-garbage time basket. T.J. Leaf’s defense is still bad but he looks settled in scoring in the NBA.

And this is all without Myles Turner of course.

It is way too early to buy your playoff tickets yet, you know Kevin Pritchard is feeling rather smug right now as the two players he traded Paul George for are leading the team in Turner’s absence. There will always be questions about whether Indiana made the right choices with that trade. But at least for now, the Pacers made sure that isn’t the leading narrative.

Instead of re-litigating the trade night-in-and-night-out, Indiana is having fun.

25. They (somehow) now have wins over the Spurs and Timberwolves. Just enough to fend off those pesky Knicks and their big win over Cleveland. This is a prime example of the early-season standings playing games with us. (Last Week: 26th) — <a href=. @Jeremy_Woo. Sports Illustrated. JEREMY WOO

22. The offensive output from the post-PG Pacers defies earthly logic. How is the league’s No. 4 offense getting it done without Myles Turner, who still hasn’t been cleared to play after suffering a concussion? Look no further than Victor Oladipo, who is averaging 26 points per game on a true shooting percentage of 64.3. Domantas Sabonis, his fellow traveler from OKC, has also been a net positive for Indy. He scored 22 points on Sunday in a win over the Spurs, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor. (Last Week: 24th) — <a href=. @ESPNNBA. ESPN. ESPN

17. The Pacers outscored the Nets and ran the Wolves off the floor. They’re a blast on offense and can’t defend a lick on defense. There are few better teams entertainment-wise than the Pacers. However, they still have a long way to go before they play like a complete team. Victor Oladipo is thriving in this system and putting up 26 points a game on 50 percent shooting, including 44 percent from 3-point range, and 88 percent from the free throw line. Watch a Pacers game sometime. It’ll be fun. (Last Week: 29th) — <a href=. @ChrisBarnewall. CBS Sports. CHRIS BARNWALL

19. Two out of three ain’t bad, and the Pacers (without Myles Turner) won two of three games last week against some good Western Conference teams. The one they lost was at Oklahoma City, but the trade they made with the Thunder isn’t looking so bad with Victor Oladipo averaging 25.5 points on an effective field goal percentage of 58 percent after hitting the game-winning three against the Spurs on Sunday, and Domantas Sabonis ranking fifth in the league in field goal percentage. It’s funny how Arvydas Sabonis’ kid is better-suited playing like a big man who makes plays than like a floor-spacing afterthought. (Last Week: 21st) — <a href=. @johnschuhmann. NBA. JOHN SCHUHMANN

@GeraldBourguet. Hoops Habit. GERALD BOURGUET. 21. For all the <a href=

Next: Miller Time Podcast Episode #201

The Pacers face the Sacramento Kings tonight before going on a three-game road trip. They’ll face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, and the New York Knicks on Sunday.

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