The Indiana Pacers have had quite the last 10 years. Over the last decade, which moments stand out as the most impactful?
The last decade has been, overall, a markedly positive one for the Indiana Pacers.
While a pessimist might look at things like the way the Paul George era ended, or the fact that extremely talented Pacers teams could never make it past the Eastern Conference Finals and say things have been bleak, the Pacers have displayed the essence of pure competition in pro basketball time and time again.
Building a stable competitor in the NBA isn’t exactly easy for a small market team, something the Pacers have done. Since 2010, the Pacers have missed the playoffs just once.
Over the course of a decade, thousands of moments come and go. Looking at the totality of the 10 years, though, which moments stand out as the main accents to the picture that is a highly competitive franchise?
Honorable mention: Indiana Pacers draft Paul George
Whether Pacers fans want to recognize his positive impact on the franchise or not many years following his trade demand, drafting Paul George was a huge moment for Pacers history in 2010.
There were plenty of misses in the 2010 NBA Draft that led to George sliding to the Pacers at 10th overall, and the talent dropoff in this year’s draft after George was stark. Indiana made the absolute most of this selection and would anchor their future around the likes of George coming out of a small school in Fresno State.
George would go on to become the face of the franchise for many years and pushed the Pacers into a highly competitive era. Indiana teams were the marquee competitors for LeBron James and the Miami Heat, putting the Pacers on the map in the largest of stages.
Though George’s time as a Pacer did not come to a very amicable closing, he was the piece that pushed this team to playoff wins and also the piece that yielded the Pacers the stars they are building around today.
As a Pacer, he averaged 18.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his seven seasons as a Pacer.