Happy Thanksgiving: Being thankful for these Indiana Pacers

This season’s Indiana Pacers are surprisingly good so far, giving us reason to be thankful as fans.

The Indiana Pacers are 10-8 as we celebrate Thanksgiving today. While that’s not worthy of celebration in itself, the fact they’re above .500 feels pretty good as we stuff ourselves with turkey.

This team was supposedly unwatchable, but it turns out they’re very entertaining. Victor Oladipo was supposedly not worth his salary, but he’s playing the best basketball of his career. Domantas Sabonis was supposedly just the other guy in that trade, but he is making us ask if he should be starting. Domas is even helping Lance Stephenson be the best version of himself.

We’re thankful that Myles Turner settled back in after his absence with a concussion. We’re thankful that Darren Collison is unselfishly sharing the ball in a way that wasn’t fully expected. We can thank Bojan Bogdanovic for shooting above 50% from deep this month.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

• 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
• Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
• 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
• 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
• Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?

We expected some of the thing we are thankful for. We knew Thaddeus Young was the veteran voice of experience, but it certainly feels good to see it in action. We’re also thankful that other guys are stepping up as leaders as well.

It’s good to see Cory Joseph being what we expected — a steadfast defender — and T.J. Leaf knocking down shots when he enters the game.

Even the deep rotation players like Al Jefferson and Joe Young are having moments when given the chance. Al Jefferson went off for 19 points recently and even when he isn’t playing, he is serving as a mentor to some of the younger players.

We’re thankful that Glenn Robinson III is healing up from his injury. He still is a month or so from returning, if not longer, but it doesn’t seem that he suffered any setbacks so far on his road to recovery.

These Indiana Pacers are better than we expected, and much more entertaining, too. They are gelling together quicker than anticipated. In short, these Pacers are simply fun to watch.

Next: Indiana Pacers leap up power rankings

And for me, I’m thankful for you, our readers. Without you, I’m just a man yelling out into the internet. So thank you stopping by 8 Points, 9 Seconds, and enjoy your Thanksgiving.