Indiana Pacers: 3 advantages of hiring coach Terry Stotts

Terry Stotts can build a strong team culture with the Indiana Pacers

The Portland Trail Blazers have an argument for being the most overachieving team of the decade. Despite playing in the West with only one All-Star for the most part, Terry Stotts guided the team to uncharted levels and shocking playoff runs, such as their semifinals finish in 2016 and their conference finals run in 2019 without Jusuf Nurkic.

There’s a reason why players love playing for the veteran coach. Aside from the empowerment, he seeks ways to maximize each player’s strengths the way few coaches could. For example, he made Enes Kanter a viable team performer, deploying him as a primary option in the second unit to overshadow his defensive limitations. Some coaches opt to sit out players who are deemed one-dimensional. With Stotts, he makes them at least serviceable.

Locker room turmoil has been an uncharacteristic, yet actual sight for the Indiana Pacers this year. And when losing aggravates their already-murky circumstances, things can get ugly in a flash, as in the team’s lottery finish this season. And for a franchise lorded over by the beasts of the East in the present, stabilizing the team culture in a realistic path to carving themselves in as one of the best teams in the league is not an out of hand goal with coach Terry Stotts.