For the first time in quite a long while, most of, if not the entirety of the NBA circle, can consider the Indiana Pacers as locks to finish in the lottery after the end of the upcoming campaign before the regular season kicks in.
With the 2022-23 season widely expected to serve as a developmental year for a Pacers team now led by young prospects and up-and-comers, preseason forecasts about the Blue and Gold have largely revolved around their chances at landing the top prize in next year’s sterling NBA Draft.
However, one key person in the franchise doesn’t seem to be too keen about going full-throttle on the team’s current trajectory—and it will definitely anger Indiana fans.
Indiana Pacers owner reportedly hesitant on bottoming out next season
According to the latest scoop by Bleacher Report, the presumption that the Indiana Pacers will be hotly in pursuit of a top pick in next year’s draft may not be as conclusive as expected. The reason? Look no further than team owner Herb Simon.
"The Indiana Pacers are another team hesitant to bottom out. The team’s front office is pretty open about their directive.“[Owner] Herb Simon won’t let them tank,” the executive said."
This may not be as credible as it sounds given the franchise’s recent slow, yet appreciable efforts to acknowledge the necessity of rebuilding, but any degree of skepticism as to how firm and willing the ownership is to actually embrace it should definitely not just be glossed over. After all, the Pacers had to wait for a couple of mediocre seasons to realize that a mid-heavy, star-less approach to team-building can only do so much on the winning spectrum.
In addition, Indiana has not let go of the ropes completely just yet, at least from a roster perspective. Given that veterans Myles Turner and Buddy Hield are still donning the Blue and Gold, the Pacers may ultimately be too good to actually bottom out as currently constructed.
However, on the flip side, construing it as such may just be surface-level thinking. It could be that Indiana’s brass, which has a good track record with trades in recent years, may simply be biding time in hopes of luring out a better offer eventually.
At the end of the day, it is more feasible to think that the Indiana Pacers will be smarter today than they were in the not-so-distant past. However, you may want to steer clear from betting all your cards on the team taking a deep nosedive to interject a rare tank job, especially considering Herb Simon’s philosophy and its potential impact on a tightly knit management.