4. The cutting of Doug McDermott
When Doug McDermott signed with Indiana, the Pacers knew they were getting someone who can shoot the three. He’s shooting 42.9% from deep, which is very good. He has picked up the scoring pace in the last nine days, scoring in double figures in four of the five games since November 19. His back-to-back 21 point performances in Utah and Phoenix are encouraging.
But we’re not here to talk about his shooting touch, the most eye-popping facet of his game has been his cutting. This might be the most Hoosier thing to notice, but McDermott ability to slice into the paint is as refined as anyone in the NBA. He’ll create assist opportunities for others just because he can cut into previously non-existent passing lanes. He’s creating scoring opportunities not only for himself but also for his teammates. The moment he jilts his defender and bolts into open space, the wing defender mumbles some profanities and has to zip in to cover the now open McDermott which then leaves another Pacer open. It’s a thing of beauty.
Two points.
5. Tyreke not catching on
What makes the Indiana Pacers special on offense over the last two years has been their egalitarian passing system. At times it can be basketball at its finest. The times when the ball seems to stop the most are when Oladipo is winding up to zoom past his defender, or when Indiana passes to Sabonis to let him quarterback from the top of the key. Frequently good things happen when those events occur.
What is new this season is Tyreke Evans holding the ball.
Evans seems to prefer one-on-one opportunities. It’s very common (54.2% of the time) for Evans to possess the ball between two and six seconds before he shoots, and when he does shoot, in these situations, it’s not accurately (36.5% per the NBA’s Tracking stats). He also likes to dribble a lot before he shoots but doesn’t shoot well in those situations either. This means that, all too often, when the ball ends up in Evans’ hands it stays there for a while until it clangs off the rim. That’s not good. When Evans does this, it disrupts the Indiana Pacers natural offensive rhythm, which is fine if disrupting the rhythm results in points scored. But Evans is posting two-year lows in points as well as shooting percentages.
Tyreke Evans has had some valuable moments. His performance on November 16 was invaluable to garnering a win in Miami, for example. But of all the new pieces to the Pacers roster for 2018-19, Evans has been the slowest in acclimating.
6. On Holiday
What a couple weeks for the rookie from UCLA. Aaron Holiday did not play in 10 of the first 15 games of the season. When he did play, it was for 16 total minutes and he scored 5 whole points. Then he checked in to a far-too-close-for-comfort game, in Indianapolis, against Atlanta and, oh my…
Since then he’s scored in double-figures in every game except on Tuesday in Phoenix. His 11.2 ppg would be the eighth highest among rookies if it was over the course of the full season. His slash line is not too shabby (47-25-79). The most impressive attribute about Holiday can’t be found in the stat book. He fills Pacers-fans with confidence. Each three-pointer sunk feels like it’s worth four. And it’s mostly because of his performance on that Saturday night against Atlanta.
What Holiday represents is hope. He can score from deep, he can drive, he’s unafraid, he can defend and he can set up his colleagues. It’ll be interesting to see how Holiday finishes out the year.
While there’s a quarter of the season gone, here’s to the three that remain. We’ll keep an eye on how the Indiana Pacers play out. Now, on to the City of Angels.