Indiana Pacers: Team goals for the 2021-22 NBA season
By Luke Parrish
What realistic goals should the Indiana Pacers have for next season?
With Nate Bjorkgren now out of the picture and the Indiana Pacers trying to get back to relevance in the Eastern Conference, they need to set some attainable goals for the upcoming season. There is still a strong roster in place that can compete on a nightly basis as long as things don’t fall apart like they did last season.
Setting goals is a tough task because so many outside factors can alter the direction of the season. The roster may not look the same now as it will in a few months. One factor in play was very prominent for this team just last season and could be again next season.
The Indiana Pacers need to stay healthy
Injuries cannot always be a scapegoat or excuse for a bad season but the consistency of major injuries the Pacers dealt with last season provides a different story. Their leading scorer heading into the season missed essentially the entire year with a foot injury. T.J. Warren was on his way to becoming the offensive leader for this team before shutting things down after just four appearances.
Myles Turner missed the final month of the season with a foot injury of his own and the defense took another step back after already struggling all season. Other key injuries came up throughout the season as seemingly everyone on the roster missed extended time.
Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, and Domantas Sabonis all missed either extended time or valuable games due to nagging injuries or unforeseen circumstances. These injuries opened the door for 15 different Pacers to start at least three games last season.
Building a roster composed of players with a history of injuries is certainly going to cause issues but they still had an extra bit of bad luck in 2020-21. Can they turn their fortune around next season?