The Indiana Pacers still have a bright future, and their outlook for next season doesn't change that. However, given their situation, it is likely going to take multiple seasons for them to return to legitimate championship contention.
Last season, the Pacers were one win away from winning their first-ever NBA Championship. Unfortunately for the team, in essentially a matter of seconds, things began crumbling down.
Early in Indiana's Game 7 NBA Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, star guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury that will sideline him for the entirety of next season. To make matters worse for the Pacers, they also lost Myles Turner near the beginning of free agency after he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Without these two, the Pacers are going to look completely different next season, and it will be difficult for them to compete. Even so, they have a bright future and should be able to re-establish themselves as title contenders, but it's going to be a while before they can make that happen.
The Pacers have a lot of questions to answer next season
With Haliburton and Turner not in the picture for next season, many are expecting Indiana to take a major back seat, with some saying they are in for a "gap year." While this may be a bit harsh, it is fair to assume that the Pacers are not going to be all that competitive next year, even if they are trying to be.
The Pacers still have a young and talented roster, and they should still be able to make some noise. They also have one of the best head coaches in the game, and they do have the benefit of being in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Even so, there are a lot of problems the Pacers need to address, and they may need the entirety of next season to fix them.
Arguably the most important concern to address is what Indiana's long-term center situation is going to look like. With their former long-time big man now in Milwaukee, the Pacers need to find his replacement. As it stands, they are expected to run a center-by-committee. This could be a good idea for next season, but if they want to become title contenders again, they will need to find a better solution that works for them in the long haul.
Furthermore, the Pacers will also need to determine what their offense is going to look like without Haliburton.
The Wisconsin native is the Pacers' offensive engine. Without him on the court, their team is going to look entirely different. Currently, the expectation is that Andrew Nembhard will run the point for a whole season. While he should be solid, he's no Haliburton, and the Pacers are about to find that out very quickly. Still, this could be a good opportunity for them to experiment a bit and see what works for when they get their star guard back.
Indiana will also rely on a lot of other players to take a big step forward, such as Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Isaiah Jackson. If they each perform well, they should be able to establish themselves as long-term contributors to the team.
The Pacers' outlook for next season is bleak, but that doesn't mean they don't have anything to look forward to. They still have a talented team, and hopefully for them, they will have much more certainty regarding their roster before Haliburton returns.
There are reasons to believe the Pacers can compete for a title again, but it's not going to happen next year.