Will the Indiana Pacers actually be better next season?

Why the Indiana Pacers will not be better next season

Sure, injuries disappearing would be nice but that’s not a realistic expectation for a team that has a history of ailments. The Pacers take risks on guys with injury concerns and that usually does not work out by the time the playoffs come, which has been the case for the last two seasons.

With a draft pick likely coming at the end of the lottery this season, the odds of them finding an immediate impact player that can slide into the rotation are slim. The top wings in the class are going to go pretty high and the Pacers need depth at that spot badly. Instead of crowding the backcourt even further or adding another developmental big man behind Turner and Sabonis, the Pacers need to find reliable two-way wings this summer.

They could also run the risk of the Bjorkgren experiment simply not panning out. While I think bringing him back for a second season is fair, the expectations should be tamed. We do not really have a total grasp of what Bjorkgren can bring to the team as of right now.

His rotations last season were a bit confusing at times but given the injuries and nightly differences in availability, I’m sure his decisions did not come easy.

If the Pacers lose T.J. McConnell or Doug McDermott in free agency, they could be without that veteran leadership on the bench. There are a lot of question marks for this team as they head into an important summer.