Indiana Pacers: Our Most Important Player Not Enough People Talk About

The Indiana Pacers have enjoyed a bit of an impromptu break over the last week with two of their games being postponed due to the Spurs and Rockets dealing with issues related to COVID-19 and the weather advisory in Texas. Some of the players have said they are feeling refreshed and have been enjoying the time off.

That being said, they will be looking forward to returning to action and will look to build on their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves before their break.

The injuries that have hindered the Indiana Pacers have been widely talked about up to this point in the 2020-21 season. One thing that has not been talked about enough, though, has been the career-best season Doug McDermott is having, and what he has meant to the Pacers this year.

Doug McDermott has quietly been enjoying the best year of his career this season and has been one of the most important players for the Indiana Pacers.

With injuries keeping key players sidelined for extended periods of time, bench players have had to answer the call and play more minutes. Doug McDermott has done just that and then some.

On the season, McDermott is averaging career-highs in nearly every statistical category. He is coming in at 13.1 points, 1.4 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, all of which are career bests.

He has appeared in all but one game this season, playing over 26 minutes per game in those appearances, yet another career-high. He has started in eight of those games, which, again, is also a career-high.

McDermott is getting a career-high 10 shots a game, hitting a career-best .511 from the field, .355 from three, and .795 from the line, and posting a PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 13.9.

In the games that McDermott has started, the Pacers have come away with a record of 5-3. And when Doug is on the floor, the Pacers have an offensive rating of 111.4 and a defensive rating of 108.3 (+3.1 net).

He has posted four games of 20+ points already this season, as many as he had over the course of the last three seasons in their entireties, in the 28 games he has played in, including games of 28 points and 26 points. Both games in which the Pacers came away with a win.

So yeah, it is safe to say this has easily been the best season of McDermott’s career.

But what Doug has brought to this Indiana Pacers team this season is much more than what shows up on the box score.

He has become a more complete player this season under the guidance of first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren. He is no longer just a spot-up three-point shooter. He is attacking the rim and driving more than he ever has in his career. His two-man game with Domantas Sabonis continues to be deadly. That’s not to say he isn’t still firing from behind the arc, he is just adding weapons to his arsenal.

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In fact, more of McDermott’s shots have come from inside the arc this season than outside. This was not the case last season as more of Doug’s shots were three-point attempts. And he is making these shots count, converting on 62.7% of these two-point attempts. This is by far the best percentage of his career from inside the arc.

The “Doug McDermott shoots better on the road than he does at home” trend has continued this season, posting a three-point percentage of 39% on the road and 33% at home for the 2020-2021 season.

This remains one of the strangest stats in the NBA, as McDermott has been a better three-point shooter on the road than at home since joining the Pacers before the 2018-2019 season.

That being said, his three-point percentage is down some this season by Doug’s standard, coming in at 36%. But I would expect that to come up over the course of the rest of the season as players return from injury. If it were to do so, it would make Doug’s impact that he is having on the Pacers’ offense even more immense.

Doug McDermott’s career-best season could not have come at a better time for the Indiana Pacers, as they continue to battle injuries and the like. He may not be the best player on the team, but he has certainly been one of the most important players on the team this year.

Some were scratching their heads when the Pacers gave McDermott $22 million over three years a few summers ago. But now, that investment is paying dividends for Indiana and looks like one of the most valuable contracts on their books.