Safe to say, the 2021 calendar year has not been particularly good for the Indiana Pacers. While the same can be said for all 30 teams—or really, the entire…planet—the Blue and Gold has arguably trekked a rockier road than most as they navigated through injuries, off-court mishaps, coaching changes, and non-successes.
As the calendar flips over to the following year, the Pacers should be chalked in to undergo some changes, perhaps philosophy-wise and basketball-wise. As they once again fail to gain much traction in the league, standing idle will get them nowhere, and will undoubtedly continue to irk the already-frustrated fanbase.
With all these into account, here are five bold predictions for 2022.
1. The Indiana Pacers retool after missing the playoffs; axe Domantas Sabonis AND Caris LeVert
Okay, listen. There are layers as to why Indiana can still viably make the playoffs in the tight-knit East despite their current record, but that would equate to hoping that the other teams trip themselves harder than the Pacers have. Frankly, I don’t see it coming. Unless they can pull off a double-digit win streak—a near-impossible task for a club maxed out at three consecutive wins so far—I’d bet my money on the team missing the playoffs for the second season in a row.
As a follow-up, I predict that the front office trades both Domantas Sabonis and Caris LeVert, kicking off a substantial retooling for a franchise in urgent need of some semblance of clarity. Both players are arguably the Pacers’ best trade assets in terms of netting great value in return (alongside Myles Turner), but they get the nod here because doing the relatively expected (e.g. trading Myles, everyone’s favorite person to blame) is not as bold of a prediction, right?