Dear Indiana Pacers: I’m nervous you are making a grave mistake

Dear Indiana Pacers executives and management,

So you all are in essentially year one of the rebuild, and it has been a success! Tyrese Haliburton looks like an elite point guard that has the potential to be a hall-of-famer by the end of his career. Mathurin looks to be the best rookie we have drafted in years. And the rest of the team seems to be gelling together very well.

And I know all of those sound like positive things, because they are. We are competing in games we have no business being in and playing better than anyone imagined. But I can’t help but shake the feeling that we are still making the same mistake that this franchise has been making for years now: an acceptance of being good but never great.

This team, essentially these kids, are amazing basketball players. But I fear that our trajectory this season is going to hamper the growth of the franchise. And here is why.

But I fear that our trajectory this season is going to hamper the growth of the franchise.

The team is good and I root for a win every time we are on the court. I can’t bear to watch the Pacers lose. However, on the other hand, we are currently approaching what I would consider to be dangerous territory. Currently we are just outside the play-in tournament with the tie breakers against most relevant teams in our area of the standings. There is a half-way decent chance that we will make the play-in tournament.

We still have the chance to improve our draft odds and go after a lottery player in a generational draft. We have a handful of injuries that we should “rest up” the rest of the season and fall a few places in the standings. We should not rush a rebuild and end up topping out, something the Atlanta Hawks are currently struggling with. If we take our shot too early, we may never have a shot at all.

Best,

Concerned Pacers fan

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