Change is constant in the NBA, more so in recent years. Gone are the days when players essentially ride with one team for their entire careers. However, continuity, while defined in a lesser magnitude today, is still a recurring theme for some franchises. One organization that comes to mind in this sense is the Indiana Pacers.
While the franchise is yet to banner a title to its name, the Pacers are huge believers in riding continuity to gain a competitive advantage on and off the court. Aside from legend Reggie Miller who bled blue and gold and remained with the franchise until he hanged it up, Indiana holds loyalty to a high premium.
The Indiana Pacers are preachers of continuity, despite recent unrest
In recent years, we have seen the Pacers waver in their principle after a revolving door of coaching changes, with the team just recently hiring their third coach in as many seasons. Despite that, the roster has not changed significantly, with only Victor Oladipo as the prominent departure from the team in recent years.
After a distasteful season inflated by turmoil and discord, calls to break up the gang intensified. While hiring Rick Carlisle stabilized the situation, the current core may not be here for longer barring a monumental campaign that urges the front office to test out something new. With this in consideration, here are three arguments for running the same group back next season.
The Indiana Pacers need to extend their patience on the injury front
Technically speaking, the Indiana Pacers’ core hasn’t gotten a real chance to see what they can do. Aside from an intermittent stretch in the 2019-20 season where the team initially struggled to incorporate Oladipo back in a rock-solid group, the Blue and Gold hasn’t trotted out a healthy roster since, well, January 2018.
The previous season is no different. After starting 6-2, the Pacers struggled the rest of the way. A season-ender for TJ Warren, alongside elongated absences from newcomer Caris LeVert, who was acquired in the Oladipo trade, Jeremy Lamb, who was coming off an ACL injury, and Myles Turner, who was shelved late in the season plagued Indiana. It also didn’t help that Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis had their fair share of injury-related absences this season.
At full strength, the Indiana Pacers boast one of the more well-rounded and balanced starting fives in the league. With four 20-point scorers to begin games, and a Defensive Player of the Year wildcard anchoring the defense, the team has more than enough to ammo to be a force in the East. Alas, even the bench unit is nothing to scoff at.
If the front office runs the same group back, it will be considered an unimpressive move, but only because it’s so harmless that doing so will not hoist the franchise on the headlines. Look at this depth chart.
- SF: TJ Warren, Justin Holiday, Oshae Brissett
- PF: Domantas Sabonis, Doug McDermott
- C: Myles Turner, Goga Bitadze
- SG: Caris LeVert, Jeremy Lamb, Edmond Sumner
- PG: Malcolm Brogdon, TJ McConnell, Aaron Holiday
The above list is not even inclusive of the team’s other seldom-used cogs, their selection in the upcoming draft and possible free agency addition/s, but even with this group, Indiana have as many as 13 rotation players who can contribute on a regular basis. That depth is a wonderful asset to have, not only as injury insurance, but for an obvious competitive advantage night in and night out.
Waiting for the stars to align and for the injury bug to be decimated is a risky proposition, but with more rest in the offseason and some luck along the way, championship coach Rick Carlisle can mobilize a roster that can shock the league and win a round or two next season.
Free agency and the trade market won’t be appealing enough for the Indiana Pacers to make a big switch
If there’s a big external factor that usually prompts teams to move the needle substantially, it’s the offseason. Free agency and the trade market are two easy avenues to take in pursuit of a retool or a revamp. However, this summer’s iteration is not appealing enough for the Indiana Pacers to invert the scales completely.
While the 2021 offseason was initially thought to be a hell of a summer, marque names who verged into free agency all re-signed with their respective clubs, effectively plummeting the stock of the free agent market.
The trade market may be a viable route, but only if the Pacers are willing to make compromises that will yield uncertain returns. For example, a frequent narrative in Indiana’s offseason is the future of Myles Turner.
The deals that are possible for the rangy rim protector seem to require Indiana to sacrifice and adjust more than the other party. Thus, the odds of winning in a deal for the prized big man appear to be marginal, unless Indy wants to play the good guy and wait for the immediate return to develop, as it is with a first-round pick, or break the bank and incorporate a salary hole, a la Andrew Wiggins, and risk muddling with the brewing team chemistry and cap flexibility.
Also, considering Indiana’s minimal wiggle room to make bold signings, the team may be better off seeing what they have at the maximum with their current group and preserve some much-needed flexibility to make tweaks or even an overhaul in upcoming summers which project to be far more attractive than the current one.
The Indiana Pacers can make noise in the East, which is more wide-open than you think
If anything, this peculiar season clearly showed the opportunistic nature of the NBA. While it is unfortunate that injuries have ruined the narrative for the 2020-21 season, most notably in the playoffs, short-term adversaries may lead to some interesting results in the near future, especially for teams on the outside looking in.
Those in the upper echelon of the East face no guarantees next season either. The Milwaukee Bucks, despite being in the running to win the title, face a scary period while waiting for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury diagnosis after a scary sequence last night. The Brooklyn Nets are also facing intermittent uncertainties with the health of their Big 3. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of a fundamental misfit with the unrest surrounding Ben Simmons.
Other playoff teams are similarly no shoe-ins for the next campaign. The Atlanta Hawks will soon find themselves embroiled in exhaustive financial decisions with John Collins and extensions for their key players. The Miami Heat will mull between overpaying their free agent studs and retaining cap space to buy in an uninspiring free agency class. The Boston Celtics are still too top-heavy, though a breakout season may be on the way.
Eventually, the Indiana Pacers’ trek for East relevancy may not be as difficult as it seems, especially with aggravating circumstances hampering their counterparts in the conference. Given the more seamless track for teams with continuity, sneaking up on teams will be more than just a wishful possibility for the Blue and Gold, especially with a new accomplished coach to lead them this time.