Will the Indiana Pacers actually be better next season?
By Luke Parrish
Why the Indiana Pacers will be better in 2021-22
To put it simply, the Pacers can be much better next season with the same roster as long as they stay healthy. Not having T.J. Warren for essentially the entire season was a crushing development as he was probably going to be the leading scorer. Without him, the offense struggled to stay consistent while the defense faltered, particularly on the wing.
Add in injuries from Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, and Malcolm Brogdon and the Pacers really could not rely on anyone in the starting five on a nightly basis. Caris LeVert missed nearly two months, Jeremy Lamb was in and out of the lineup, and Edmond Sumner even missed some time near the end of the year.
If this team can stay healthy and allow Oshae Brissett to come off the bench with Warren back in the mix, they almost have to get better. Justin Holiday was the only Pacer to play in all 72 games this season. While playing every night would be a bonus, simply having everyone available MOST of the time would be a huge win for Indiana.
Indiana could also switch up the roster by splitting up Turbonis, moving Brogdon, or building around Caris and Domas as the primary options. A second season for Nate Bjorkgren, if he is afforded one, could go a long way as well.
The discourse surrounding Bjorkgren has been interesting down the final stretch of this season but the door is still open for him to return next season. Another year with this roster – or an offseason to build the roster to his strengths – should help.