The All-Star break is always a time to stop and assess the performance of an NBA squad coming into the homestretch of the season. The Indiana Pacers season has been rocked with the recent loss of Victor Oladipo, but we can still grade each players performance.
The blue and gold entered the All-Star break clinging to a 3rd place spot in the East, well behind the Bucks and Raptors and just a single game in front of the resurgent Sixers and talented but sputtering Celtics. The entire mission of the rest of the season for the Indiana Pacers should be to hang tight to the 3rd seed so they can face the Brooklyn Nets rather than squaring off against one of the East’s “big 4” in the 4-5 matchup (calling the “big 4” that if the Pacers finish with home court advantage is an argument for another day).
The Pacers as a team deserve a good and solid A for the work they’ve put in so far. To be in the 3 seed with Oladipo having only played 36 of the team’s 58 games so far is nothing short of a miracle. Kudos to our Indiana Pacers are well deserved! We’re not just here to give kudos to the whole team, however! Let’s take a look at how the players have each done on their own. Let’s assign player grades, sorted by each players spot in the rotation.