Indiana Pacers: Way-too-early starting lineup predictions for 2021-22

Barring a miracle, the Indiana Pacers are likely to end their season this week. A culmination of a disparaging mix of injuries, on-court inconsistencies and off-court issues, this campaign will leave a bad taste for fans of the Navy and Gold and will certainly be memorable, largely for the worse.

It is in these times when fans clamor and hash out their own baked proposals to make the team better — and for good reason. Everyone had loftier expectations for the Pacers heading into the season, hoping that the team’s continuity, growth, and a coaching change can catapult them past the first round of the playoffs. Yet here we are, with the team not even in the playoff picture as it currently stands.

The Eastern Conference is much-improved, thought its top-heavy troika can only make those beneath them wonder about the possibilities and boisterous moves to insert themselves in the discussion. Incremental steps will not work anymore, especially for teams that still can’t get over the hump and stuck in an unenviable position, as the Pacers find themselves in.

In the spirit of uncertainty and a dreamy scenario of change, will next season’s Indiana Pacers look the same as this year’s? History says no, but I’d rather say yes. Thus, here are my bold and way-too-early predictions for the team’s roster in 2021-2022, starting with the starting lineup.