The hardest thing to do so far this Indiana Pacers season is to hope that it is not already over less than 10 games into the year. With the volume of injury issues combined with the bad losses the team has already taken against lesser competition, it's hard to think optimistically about a sample that has been so universally negative.
Amazingly, the biggest question mark of this Pacers offseason has already found quite a positive answer. Tyrese Haliburton has returned to a high level of play, and any worries about a decline in quality after his torn Achilles tendon and subsequent rehab have been very quickly put to bed.
However, despite that, the Pacers sit at 2-6 after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. This is certainly not where the Pacers wanted to be, as a fast start was tantamount to any challenge for a top seed in a conference that looks to be incredibly deep and incredibly strong.
The good news is that the season is not over, with 74 games left to play. Even with all the injuries and all the disappointments, there's still so much to be excited about for this Pacers team during this season and future ones, as long as they can find a way to keep afloat while waiting for their team to get healthy.
On borrowed time, and with house money
It is my personal opinion that the most fun type of team to be a fan of is one that is just decent without any of the real talent to be much more. Some would see this as a trap, a roster that has hit its ceiling, but I think there is joy in watching a team that has surprises baked into its game-to-game performance.
Think of it this way:
Jarace Walker was the eighth overall pick in the 2023 draft. So far this season, he's been quite bad, even though he's been one of the few players who have been active, available, and playing every game. However, because we know the team is not going to be very good right now, we can watch him do something impressive and hope that this is the new version of him, even if we know logically that it will not be.
Every single game becomes a question of what silver linings you saw, instead of how it changes your opinion of the team in its totality. If Pacers fans have learned anything from TJ Warren, it's that anyone can be a superstar for one game and that it is really, really fun to watch that when it happens.
Are wins better? Absolutely. But the Pacers will get back to their winning ways with time. In the meantime, it is your responsibility to look out for yourself and to find fun even in the hardest moments of fandom.
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