On paper, the Indiana Pacers have no issue getting into the paint and attacking the basket. Their 26.4 paint touches per game would be 10th in the NBA and, as such, not a cause for concern.
However, what this fails to consider is how the Pacers have looked on offense since Tyrese Haliburton went down and the statistical validity – or, I guess, the invalidity – of that top-10 figure.
While we will get into that, it doesn't seem crazy to say that the Pacers' offensive struggles come down to the lack of a motor pushing the team in transition. Without that constant force, their offense becomes unable to force its way down the lane and relies on jump shots and manufactured half-court sets that don't work well without their lead orchestrator.
This is by no means the only issue with a Pacers offense that has been far more disappointing than their mediocre defense. It makes sense to blame the failures of individual players, especially Ivica Zubac, who has not been good in a vacuum, let alone at the price Indiana paid for him, but the scheme is also showing its limits.
Indiana's numbers are not as they seem
While it is true that the Pacers are top 10 in paint touches per game, that fails to consider that they are also first in total offensive touches per game. Whereas the Minnesota Timberwolves are getting 26.6 paint touches per game on their 377.4 total offensive touches per contest, the Pacers are reaching 26.4 on over 410 total touches.
Even then, the Timberwolves are a team built around the idea of off-the-dribble shooting. It makes sense that they would not get downhill as often as a team like the Pacers, which wants to live in transition and find easy layups.
Maybe a better comparison is the Boston Celtics, who want to play fast and only shoot from distance or at the rim. That sounds a lot like Indiana's play style as well.
The Celtics spend over 2% more of their time on the ball in the paint than the Pacers do. That does not seem like a lot, but it is a massive amount in the context of this offense. Indiana cannot continue to avoid the paint the way they have. If they fail to readjust, this offense will be unplayable. Worst of all, this is a team that's supposed to be defined by its offense.
Obviously, it's easy to point at this problem and to claim that Halliburton will fix it all. He will surely lift it a considerable amount. But it should not be the responsibility of Halliburton to get a team that features two fringe All-Stars at the power forward and center positions to score in the paint. That is a larger problem, and one Indiana will need to find the answer to as they enter a difficult stretch of their schedule.
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