The Indiana Pacers lost 7 key players but added 6 more and brought back some youth. How are they now set up for the future?
Overall, the Indiana Pacers got better this off-season. More importantly, they also got younger, putting the core all on the same timeline. Their entire core is between 23-27 years old, all either entering their primes or already in them. This is huge, as the team now has an opportunity to grow together and has a pretty large window of championship contention ahead of them.
Are they going to win it all this season? No, I wouldn’t bet on it. Victor Oladipo will miss a big chunk of the season coming back from injury, and the new players need time to play together and gel. Kevin Pritchard delivered fans an amazing off-season, but this team isn’t designed to win this year.
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The 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons are the big ones for this team. The Eastern Conference is pretty wide open, with no clear team poised to dominate for the next 3 years. The Pacers are built to compete for that top spot in the coming years, but it really relies on a few key things working.
The biggest key to success in 2019-20 is Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis being able to play together. We’ve seen them play together here and there, but this season is make or break. Domas is a restricted free agent next summer, so if they can’t make it work this season starting together, it means one of them is most likely getting shipped off.
There is reason to believe they can work well together, and they’ll certainly get the chance this season. It helps that they are really good friends (something that doesn’t get talked about enough).
They play roughly the same position and could realistically be competing for money and minutes, but they don’t seem to mind. They genuinely seem to enjoy having the other on the team, and are very willing to try and make this work. On paper, their games seem to compliment each other, so I believe Nate can find a way to get the most out of each player.
The other key piece is Victor coming back better than ever. He is progressing well in his rehab, already sprinting and getting shots up, so all signs are pointing to a full recovery. Pacer fans can only hope he comes back to the all-star he was before he went down, but I can’t think of a better person you’d want to root for.
The last piece that needs to work is the on-court chemistry. The Pacers right now are a team of great young men, all consummate professionals who want to be here and want to win. Off-court chemistry should never be an issue, but only time will tell if this roster can play together effectively. On paper, everyone seems to fit together, but this season will be telling if this team can work together for the long haul.
The Indiana Pacers are still a year or two away from true championship contention, but I don’t know that I’ve ever been more excited about a team in my life. If you are only a casual fan or haven’t followed the Pacers in the past, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not watching them this season and into the future. This team is young, motivated, full of potential, and easy to root for. Now is a great time to be a fan.