Even as a small market, the Indiana Pacers have always managed to be competitive and consistent in a league that is more hospitable to its big market franchises. Despite not possessing a title to their name, the team has closed in on a championship multiple times, though its window to clinch the trophy has been closed for quite a while now.
Sounds familiar right? Well, we can say the same for the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose previous nucleus formed by tremendous drafting ignited a near-decade run of championship contention.
Sam Presti drafted three players who ended up being the Most Valuable Player in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on separate occasions. Despite being one of the league’s smallest markets, OKC organically grew its core to become so potent that it seemed destined for a dynasty.
The Indiana Pacers are still competing despite the end of its brief title window
However, in a temperamental league like the NBA, chances come and go. For the Indiana Pacers, it was a quick ascent to the upper echelon of the league that soon went downhill before it even flirted with the podium.
The Circle City rode a defensive and physical identity bannered by the likes of Paul George, Roy Hibbert and David West to consecutive Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014 before bowing down to the Miami Heat on both occasions.
Tumultuous campaigns followed suit, including PG’s freak injury that sidelined him in the 2014-15 season that spearheaded two mediocre seasons, the last of which prompted the star to force his way out of Indiana.
After trading George to Oklahoma City, the Pacers seemed poised for a rebuild, but found gems in Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, who both ended up netting multiple All-Star appearances. They relatively overachieved in the past three campaigns, though health remained elusive for the team as they still could not get over the hump.
In the present, Indiana remains competitive, though currently in a decline after another injury-riddled campaign in a fortified Eastern Conference. The likes of Sabonis, Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert and TJ Warren banner a Pacers team that has yet to grasp their potential as a complete unit.
Stars never aligned for great, but title-less Oklahoma City Thunder
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, they were a victim of circumstance at large. The early seasons with their Big 3 groomed them into an NBA Finals appearance in 2012. Though they lost to Miami, the franchise could not get more satisfied with the trajectory of its widely envied collection of talents.
However, in the summer, OKC’s brass traded Harden to the Houston Rockets after failing to agree on an extension. It was a big loss that became even bigger in subsequent seasons, but a scary Thunder team remained.
After netting the West’s top seed in 2013, Westbrook faced an injury that sidelined him for the postseason, resulting in an ugly loss to the Grit N’ Grind Memphis Grizzlies. 2014 seemed like another breakthrough for the Thunder as they were healthy for the most part, finishing 2nd in a brutal conference. However, they ran across eventual champions San Antonio Spurs who defeated them in six games with scintillating offense, depth, and experience.
In 2015, OKC lost Durant for the season and missed the playoffs. As the Golden State Warriors basked in glory, the Thunder became much more silent. This was until they nearly rattled off the 73-win Warriors in 2016 as they led 3-1 in the conference finals before notably blowing their lead and eventually, their core.
Kevin Durant infamously went to Oakland following the season. While Westbrook’s historic efforts and the arrival of George kept the team afloat, the team still struggled to make postseason noise. Eventually, they traded both stars as they have commenced a long rebuild, with their embarrassment of riches with draft picks at its functional core.
Thunder’s shift in direction exposes the Indiana Pacers’ troubling tendency
In the NBA, consistency is only validated with championship pedigree, as seen in the Spurs’ legendary run of 22 straight playoff appearances which included 5 championships. Sure, the Pacers have been a perennial playoff player, but it does not have a title to back up the elongation of a reliable, yet stale formula.
The Navy and Gold have talented, star-level players starting in all positions when healthy, but the stars rarely align perfectly in the NBA. Brogdon, LeVert, Warren, Sabonis and Turner form a potent squad in theory, but unless it is out there and yielding wonderful results, then the prospect may eventually be for naught.
The art of rebuilding is understandably a craft that merits avoidance in a competitive league, but it is an inevitable reality for teams with great crops, but without championship banners hanging in their rafters. Oklahoma City is the best example, and with their window to contention clearly inexistent, their front office has been creative in acquiring draft assets in abundance while developing in-house talents like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and outsourcing from places where others do not even look, as in Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley.
The Indiana Pacers front office should never settle for a middling goal of simply being an honorary postseason participant. Fortunately, they do not. But the hesitance that can be seen from the team’s tendency of avoiding the luxury tax and never showing even an ounce of will for a rebuild despite consecutive first-round exits as the rest of the league make drastic moves to inch them towards contention does not paint a picture of lofty goals in stone.
Certainly, there is a wide difference between merely being in the middle of the pack and being at the top. However, the difference between being at the bottom and the middle is less noticeable. And for the Indiana Pacers to reopen a window for contention, the organization should make more boisterous measures to clear up the alleyway.
Unfortunately, no one will be waiting for them. Time is ticking, and the need for answers loom bigger as another title-less season nears its end.