As teams start plugging the engine to gear up for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season in the training camp, a lot of questions are starting to spill over the league. From vaccination concerns, injury news, and personnel decisions, all clubs are now entering a pivotal stretch to fill in their answers. The Indiana Pacers are no different, boasting a few storylines of their own which could very well define how they will fare in the early portion of the season.
After missing the playoffs last season in turbulent and disappointing fashion, the Pacers remained an outlier, opting to keep the core and making a change on the coaching front instead. Now manned by a championship coach in Rick Carlisle, expectations are higher on Indiana entering the campaign, though the trek may be harder given the improvement in the Eastern Conference.
The Indiana Pacers have a lot of questions to answer in training camp
Still, at full strength, we all know what this group is capable of. After all, this is the same club that gave Indiana the wildcard status in the East for three seasons prior to last year. If things come full circle for the Blue and Gold next season, the Pacers could sneak up on the teams above them and surprise a lot of people, especially with their edge in continuity against teams facing massive roster turnovers.
As the team starts sharpening up for the following season, which returns to its normal 82-game form, a lot of questions still need some answering. Thus, here are five storylines that fans should monitor in training camp.