With the 2021 NBA preseason now out of the way, the Indiana Pacers should be ready to go heading into the regular season. While the team finished the preliminaries with a middling 2-2 win-loss card, the Blue and Gold are now on the finishing stages of gearing up, hopefully setting the stage for a comeback campaign in the upcoming season.
As the team goes through a pivotal adjustment once again, this time incorporating the team’s newcomers and learning under a new coach in Rick Carlisle, the process will be filled with inevitable ups-and-downs. Their preseason campaign should be a positive step towards feeding off each other’s growth and waging a more competitive bid in the regular season.
The 2021 preseason has been rocky for the Pacers, largely a result of the team succumbing to early injuries, which subsequently caused lineup instability right from the get-go. As Indy failed to employ their full set of weapons to aptly mix and match effective lineups, they couldn’t maximize the experimental course of preseason action, though team chemistry seems a lot stronger this time around.
Thus, with all things considered, here are the good, bad and ugly for the Indiana Pacers in the 2021 NBA preseason.
What went well for the Indiana Pacers in the preseason?
The Good No. 1: Some Hot Rookie Servings, Anyone?
Safe to say, the Pacers’ rookies did not disappoint.
Chris Duarte, whom I’ve described as a worthy gamble with the 13th pick, has shown flashes of on-court brilliance and maturity that should earn him a meaningful role on the team. His dynamic two-way play on the wing position, headed by his smooth scoring acumen and impressive defensive chops, will force the coaching staff to carve ample minutes for him in his first year.
On the other hand, Isaiah Jackson proved worthy of being a regular rotation player, despite the logjam in the position. His outstanding athleticism is not just for show, as his defense really stood out even in spurts. More playing time should be in store for him as he improves and grows as a more complete player.
The Good No. 2: Bench on Full Throttle
While the squad’s original depth has been shaved as a result of coping for early injuries, the second unit looks like a force to be reckoned with. Aside from the two rookies, the team’s holdovers in TJ McConnell, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Goga Bitadze and newcomer Torrey Craig have all thrived in limited minutes.
Most interesting is the re-emergence of Lamb and Bitadze. The former, reckoned to be a trade chip for Indiana, has been healthy and spearheaded the bench’s scoring attack. Meanwhile, the Georgian big man, not to be beaten by Jackson, looked good in spurts, improving his three-point stroke and rebounding while remaining sharp as an unorthodox rim protector.
The Good No. 3: Better on the Boards, so far
Throughout the preseason, the Indiana Pacers registered a 50.8 rebounding percentage, good for ninth in the league. While the sample size is small, it is a nonetheless a stark improvement from the putrid 47.6 mark it tallied last season, which was second-worst in the association.
Better yet, the Blue and Gold remained aggressive in deterring shots at the rim, but relatively succeeded on corralling defensive boards, a facet that was completely missing in the previous campaign due to their needlessly ultra-aggressive approach on D.
The Indiana Pacers had some puzzling plots in the preseason
The Bad No. 1: Pacers, but without the Pace
Perhaps the most boisterous change from last season’s design to the preseason is the change in pace. After running the fourth-fastest offense in the league, the Indiana Pacers ranked 25th in the same department in the preseason.
Coach Rick Carlisle has always favored motion-based, yet deliberate half-court offense, but the difference is still drastic. This could ultimately yield to better results than last year, but at this juncture, the change in pace hasn’t necessarily translated into better team defense (more on that later) and an efficient scoring attack. Perhaps a more incremental shift from last campaign’s pace could result into a more seamless adjustment.
The Bad No. 2: What’s with Oshae?
Many among Pacers circles expected Oshae Brissett to assume a more prominent mantle in the upcoming season after his mini-breakout in the latter portions of the 2020-21 campaign. However, that may not be the case by all indications in the preseason.
Not only has coach Carlisle opted for more veteran players more, but even when given playing time, though sporadic, the combo forward failed to gain much traction on the court, struggling with his shot while looking less fluid on defense. With many of the team’s core players shelved with injuries, we can only hope that Brissett gets out of his slump to not get left behind in the rotation.
The Indiana Pacers have to improve on these areas in the regular season
The Ugly No. 1: The “I” in Indiana stands for Injury
Are we even surprised?
Not even a swish into the regular season, the Indiana Pacers are already hobbled with injuries left and right. From the indefinite absences of Caris LeVert and TJ Warren, and the cameo injuries to Holiday and Malcolm Brogdon, it looks like the Blue and Gold’s hopes of a fully healthy club remain a farfetched possibility.
With the Blue and Gold on deck for a not-so-easy starting schedule to the regular season, missing key components will only aggravate their already-marginal chances at a sterling record to kick things off. Bummer.
The Ugly No. 2: Defense, still MIA?
Seems like the coaching staff’s spread-eagled emphasis on defense in the preseason hasn’t yet manifested on the court. Across four preseason games, Indiana mustered a 109.4 defensive rating, goof for 25th in the league, a far worse placing than last season, where they ranked 14th.
However, with the coaching staff reverting to a simpler defensive schemes, the window to improve as a team on defense should be stouter. An ounce of roster stability on the premise of better health should give them enough traction to be better on that aspect.
The Ugly No. 3: Still Iffy on Treys
True to his words, coach Rick Carlisle has injected a lot more three-point shooting on the offense. In fact, the Pacers attempted 38 three-point shots per contest in the preseason, which was 11th-most among all thirty teams.
Problem is, the team only converted 11.5 of their tries from downtown per game, tied for 23rd in the association. Even worse, their 30.3 percent shooting from three-point land ranked a measly 26th. With the team already having one of the slowest scoring attacks in the league, remaining iffy on triples is far from ideal and a recipe for disaster.