5 preseason stats that (sorta) matter for the Indiana Pacers
By Ben Gibson
The preseason is over for the Indiana Pacers, but there are a few stats that could be a sign of things to come once the regular season begins.
The Indiana Pacers were 2-2 in their preseason games, but there’s plenty of good (and bad) to take away from those exhibition games.
Of course, everything here comes with the gigantic disclaimer of it’s only preseason and small sample sizes, but it’s worth looking at a few statistics and seeing if they are aberrations or trends as we approach the regular season.
The Pacers made a number of moves this offseason to address weaknesses while counting on the development of their younger players. Is the preseason giving us any signs that those bets are paying off?
We’ll take a look at the stats and see which ones should have you concerned, and which ones are purely preseason numbers. We’ll start with one of the biggest ones and find the more subtle ones from there.
The Indiana Pacers had a -0.7 net rating, but…
It really doesn’t matter, honestly. Preseason is more about getting into the flow of things and Indiana showed at times that rust wasn’t a factor. It especially doesn’t matter after Wednesday’s beating by the Chicago Bulls killed a number of stats that pointed in Indiana’s favor.
Before then, Indiana had a +3.4 net rating with all but Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott posting a positive net rating for themselves out of the expected 9-man rotation. On both sides of the ball, the Pacers were devastatingly strong.
Nearly every one of Indiana’s players from last year’s roster showed us new tricks while Victor Oladipo got the narrative started in earnest that he was taking another leap this year.
My rule for preseason and Summer League is “Does a player looked competent?” Outside of the ugly end to a four-game preseason road trip, nearly every player that saw significant minutes passed the test.
It’s preseason, but especially once you remove their worse game, it’s clear they weren’t playing the type of basketball that loses you games.