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3 key stats for the Indiana Pacers after 2 weeks

By Tony East

SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 24: Members of the Indiana Pacers celebrate after a Domantas Sabonis dunk against the San Antonio Spurs during an NBA game on October 24, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Edward A. Ornelas/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 24: Members of the Indiana Pacers celebrate after a Domantas Sabonis dunk against the San Antonio Spurs during an NBA game on October 24, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Edward A. Ornelas/Getty Images) /
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Domantas Sabonis Myles Turner Indiana Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS – SEPTEMBER 24: Domantas Sabonis #11 and Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers pose for a headshot during the Pacers Media Day on September 24, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Turner/Sabonis experiment is ongoing… and it’s going better

Before the season, Nate McMillan talked about how he believed two big man lineups would rule the Eastern Conference in a post-LeBron James world.

But then just a few days before opening night, McMillan pivoted and said we won’t see that as much as he previously said. He claimed he would only play them together if the matchup allowed it to happen, similar to what happened last season:

Conflicting narratives made it hard to predict just how much we might see Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner together. Through seven games, we have a decent feel for the number of minutes they are going to play simultaneously.

So far, the duo has touched the court together for 25 minutes, roughly 3 minutes per game. However, they haven’t played together in every game – they have only done so in five games so far. So in the games they do suit up together, it happens for about five minutes per game.

In those 25 minutes, the Pacers are a -6, which is… fine. They have an 81 offensive rating, dropping in 38 points on 47 possessions. That is bad. Their defensive rating is just a hair under 98. That is good.

You can tell the team has two centers on the floor. The spacing is a little tight and the Pacers struggle to get open shots. They are shooting 41.67 percent on two-point shots with the duo on the floor and 23.08 percent on three-pointers. Those numbers are bad, but they are also going to regress upward, somewhat.

As the offensive improves, hopefully, the defense can stay about as good as it has been. These groups aren’t allowing anything inside the arc (opponents are shooting just 43.33 percent on twos) but they can’t defend the perimeter well and are conceding 41.67 percent on three-pointers. That isn’t like to change, so optimistically an offensive improvement can keep this group buoyant in the minimal time they have together.

Five minutes per game doesn’t sound like much, but it took less than that time for the Blazers and Timberwolves benches to sink the Pacers. If this duo can succeed when the bench is struggling, that is important for the team. Both for the now and for the future.

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