Pacers Rank: Myles Turner returns, but Victor Oladipo is still the king of the hill
By Ben Gibson
Myles Turner is back from his concussion and sore neck, but Victor Oladipo is still the king of the hill among the Indiana Pacers.
Welcome back to the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner. Welcome back to earth, Victor Oladipo.
Turner is healthy once again and returned to his role as the starting center, but he probably needs some WD-40 to knock off some of the rust after missing seven games. His 15.7 points and 8.3 rebounds a game are an improvement on last year’s numbers, but the season opener (much like last year’s) tells us he certainly is capable of more.
Victor Oladipo is still playing basketball at a much higher level than he did with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his numbers are coming back to earth. After winning the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, his points dropped to a respectable 21.5 a game.
In the last week, we’ve seen the Pacers offense get slowed down, which stymied Oladipo’s game as well. The bad news is he shot 43.6% in his last four games. The good news is when he steps beyond the arc his field goal percentage is 41.7%. He’s taking ownership of his poor play in the past two games — particularly in the loss to the New Orleans Pelicans — so here’s to hoping he can clean up that field goal percentage and get back to being his peak self.
1. Other than a pair of so-so performances, his 21.6 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds a game are critical to Indiana’s success. (Last Week: 1). SG. Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO
2. Turner’s played in the last three games but looks a step slow. His time out is the likely culprit but with so much riding on his success, Indiana Pacers fans are nervous until further notice. (Last Week: Injured). C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
3. He knocked down 4 3-pointers against the New York Knicks and answered any lingering questions about his wrist. <a href=. PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
DOMANTAS SABONIS. 4. His demotion to backup center was expected so that can’t be held against him. A calf injury kept him out against the Pelicans, but in the last week, he averaged 15 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. He provided some firepower against the New York Knicks coming off the bench so his numbers should remain steady despite the change in role. (Last Week: 2). PF/C. Indiana Pacers
5. <a href=. SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC
DARREN COLLISON. 6. His 13.5 points and 7.5 assists a game is impressive, as well as his 51.2% field goal percentage. Collison is playing his role perfectly so far this season. (Last Week: 3). PG. Indiana Pacers
PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH. 7. Despite dropping in our rankings, CoJo’s defense and 54.5% 3-point field goal percentage is exactly what Indiana needs off the bench. (Last Week: 5)
8. Lance Stephenson holds his spot, but he might be moving up soon. We saw the first few glances of Good Lance in Indiana’s loss to New Orleans. Lance scored 14 points of 5 of 9 shooting while grabbing 8 rebounds. That raised up his averages this week to 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and a 41.7% field goal percentage, giving you an idea of how rough his season began. (Last Week: 8). SG. Indiana Pacers. LANCE STEPHENSON
PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF. 9. Injuries derailed T.J. over the past few games, making it hard from him to get the most out of his minutes. (Last Week: 7)
10. Only played two games this week but went 4 of 7 from the floor to score 9 points. He hardly sees the floor but at least he is getting the chance at non-garbage times minutes, and making the most of them, too. (Last Week: 10). PG. Indiana Pacers. JOE YOUNG
AL JEFFERSON. 11. Oddly has the same shooting numbers as Joe Young this week. (Last Week: 9). C. Indiana Pacers
Next: Lance Stephenson's most absurd moments
The Pacers face Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, the Chicago Bulls on Friday, and then return home to host the Houston Rockets.