The Indiana Pacers currently have a winning record, two-potential all-stars, and a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate. That might not be enough.
Sure, they may have started the season 4-1 in the month of December with a big win over the Boston Celtics. Since the start of January, the Indiana Pacers own an 8-10 record. Of their 11 remaining games in February, six are against teams with a winning record meaning it’s not going to get much easier.
Jeremy Lamb has returned and been better than expected. Domantas Sabonis is a legitimate triple-double threat averaging 21 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. Malcolm Brogdon is having a career year at 22 points and 6.7 assists per contest. Myles Turner leads the NBA in blocks at 3.7 per outing and is also adding 1.2 steals.
What more do the Indiana Pacers need?
When T.J. Warren went down after the fourth game of the season with a stress fracture, Victor Oladipo was there to pick up the offensive slack. And he did. He averaged 20 points in nine games and looked to be back to his pre-injury self.
It was only a matter of time before Oladipo made his departure from Indiana. Contract negotiations were not going in the Pacers’ favor and the front office made the decision to get some value instead of watching Oladipo walk in free agency this offseason.
When the news that Caris LeVert was coming to town broke, most Pacers fans were pretty excited. It was just a few nights prior that he’d gone off for 43 points in Memphis. That excitement didn’t last long as it was announced within minutes LeVert would be sidelined indefinitely with what we now know as renal cell carcinoma on his left kidney. The mass has since been removed and there is optimism he will see the court this season.
In just a short couple of weeks, the Pacers lost arguably three of their top four offensive threats on the roster in Warren, Oladipo, and LeVert.
Indiana has benefited from the NBA’s middle of the pack cannibalizing themselves. The Eastern Conference only has five teams with a winning record. The Western Conference is much stronger with 11 teams above .500, but only three games separate fourth-place from 14th.
So, are the Indiana Pacers bad?
No. They are unlucky. They always have been. It’s been years since the Pacers had a completely healthy starting five. A young, first-time NBA head coach is still trying to figure out all the tricks to leading a team at the highest level in the world.
If there’s some good news to be found in this, the Pacers core are all under contract for the next few years. Sabonis, Brogdan, Turner, LeVert, and Justin Holiday are all under contract through at least the 2022-23 season. Plus, Warren will still be on the roster for at least next season.