Why you should still love watching the end of the Pacers season
By Josh Rendall
A Blast from the Past
As a Pacers fan, the Paul George teams were just so much fun to watch. Part of that team was the Hometown Hero, George Hill. I know that it seems like a small piece of the Milwaukee Bucks trade (along with Nwora, who looked great for the Pacers down the stretch), but Hill is such a great person to have in the locker room to help the young Pacers core develop. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall listening to all of his insight about basketball and the city of Indianapolis.
"It means a lot. Growing up here as a kid, I've been part of the highs and lows, but to see the fans, it never fails. They support us no matter what."
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 8, 2023
Indiana native George Hill after Fan Appreciation night presented by @kroger. pic.twitter.com/6yiJXtcHnk
Struggles
The Pacers really struggled without the core starting group on the floor. I think that statement could be used for any team in the NBA, but you can see how much of the Pacers offense, while free flowing most of the time, needs the stability of someone like Haliburton. Too often, players got sped up and took bad shots, tried to do too much and turned the ball over, and didn’t make the extra pass for an easier shot. They also seemed to turn the ball over more and lost leads as the season was coming to a close. Look at this take from Scott Agness from the Athletic:
NEW: Bennedict Mathurin returned from injury and the Pacers led by 18pts after 1, then things unraveled.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) March 21, 2023
Turnovers piled up.
And they were outscored 19-4 to close the game in Charlotte.https://t.co/AtSBwTZ4Fj
Some of that is growing pains, but I’m interested to see how the offseason is used for this young group of Pacers. Watching their growth throughout the season was fun to watch. What will they be able to do with the dedicated practice time? Who will they add to the mix?