Another decade is in the books for the Indiana Pacers. Here, contributor Charron Elliot shares his Pacers All-Decade Team. A squad that brought the organization to new heights.
George Hill, PG, 2011-2016
George Hill will always have the name Kahwi Leonard attached to him due to the trade the Indiana Pacers and the Spurs agreed upon in 2011.
Leonard has become one of the best players in the NBA, however, to Hill’s credit he has had an overall solid career and some of his best years were in a Pacers’ uniform.
Hill was the orchestrator of the offense during the team’s best seasons of the decade and on top of that, was a great defender.
Hill had his career-best defensive ratings in 2013 and 2014 at 102 (points allowed per 100 possessions) and offensively his most efficient season as a Pacer in the 2015-16 season where he shot an effective field-goal percentage of 54.1.
George Hill averaged 12.3 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game during his time in Indiana.
Victor Oladipo, SG, 2017-current
When Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis were traded to Indiana during the summer of 2017 it was viewed by many as a one-sided trade in favor of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It didn’t take long for people to realize that the notion was far from the truth.
In his first season with Indiana, Oladipo became an All-Star. The former Hoosier averaged a career-high 23.1 points per game and did it efficiently with a field-goal percentage of 53.7.
Oladipo also had a career-high in steals averaging 2.4 per game and increased his assists to a career-best 4.3 per game.
Victor won the NBA’s 2017-18 Most Improved Player Award and quickly emerged as the new star headlining the Pacers.
Unfortunately, last season was cut short for Oladipo due to a quad injury but the guard is expected to return in February.
If he can return to all-star form he could easily become a part of the next decade of great Pacers as well.
Paul George, SG/SF, 2010-2017
He is probably the most hated athlete in the state of Indiana due to wanting out from the Pacers organization, but there is no doubt PG13 was the best player for the team in the decade.
During his time with the Pacers, George was a four-time All-Star, won the NBA’s 2012-13 Most Improved Player Award and averaged 18.1 points per game with an effective field-goal percentage of 50.2.
George also led the Pacers to their highest regular-season win total since 2003 in 2013-2014, with a record of 56 wins and 26 losses and was voted on the NBA’s All-Defensive first team.
Although he was a great player during his time in Indiana, unfortunately, George and the Pacers had to deal with LeBron James dominating the Eastern Conference so they were never able to get over the hump and reach The Finals.
Danny Granger, SF/PF, 2005-2013
Danny Granger is probably one of the more underrated NBA players in this decade due to injuries that derailed his career.
Granger was a crucial piece of the Pacers’ success during the early part of the decade averaging nearly 21 points per game during the years of 2010-2012.
He shot the three-ball at around 37.6% during that time frame and was a main option for the Pacers offensively before ultimately having several issues with his knees.
He was never the same player after 2013 but during his nine seasons with the Pacers, he averaged 17.6 points per game and made 38% of his three-point field goals.
Solid career for Granger as a Pacer.
Roy Hibbert, C, 2008-2015
Although his offensive game had been sub-par during his career, Roy Hibbert was the main defensive “enforcer” for the Pacers during the 2010s.
Standing at the gigantic height of 7 foot 2 and weighing 270 lbs, Hibbert made opposing offenses think twice about attacking the rim.
His best season defensively with the team was during 2012-2013, where he averaged a career-high 2.6 blocks per game and had a defensive rating of 97 (points allowed per 100 possessions).
Hibbert best season scoring the basketball was during 2011-12 when he averaged 12.8 points per game and shot 49.7% from the field.
He was probably the most important player outside of Paul George during the Pacers consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014.