Indiana Pacers: 3 advantages the team has over potential play-in opponents

With the Indiana Pacers inching closer toward the play-in tournament, the team is starting to get a clearer vision of what it may take to trek to the NBA playoffs despite a tumultuous campaign fueled by another injury-marred season.

Now, with only two games left on the schedule, the Navy and Gold is currently slotted at ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Since netting a top-six finish to secure an outright playoff berth is already out of the way, the Pacers should focus their cards on their potential play-in matchups at the 7-10 range.

Alongside Indiana, the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards will jockey for the last two playoff seeds in the East. the Pacers can still finish as high as 8th, which will give them two cracks at clinching a spot in the postseason.

All of those teams have their own fair share of advantages over the Indiana Pacers, but the Circle City will similarly trot out a squad that can upend all three. As we voyage through the play-in scenarios, let’s take a deep dive on three advantages the team has over its potential play-in opponents, starting off with the team’s most reliable weapon in this injury-riddled campaign.