The Indiana Pacers have struggled even worse than anybody expected them to begin the season. They are 1-10 and are statistically one of the worst teams on both sides of the ball.
Indiana looks like a completely different team from the one that just made it to the NBA Finals. That's because, for the most part, it is.
Tyrese Haliburton is out for the year due to an Achilles injury, and Myles Turner signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. These two factors alone played a role in the Pacers' lower expectations for this season. Unfortunately for them, their hardships didn't start there.
Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and T.J. McConnell are either all on the shelf due to injuries or have just come back. This has only made what was already a weaker Pacers team even worse.
On the bright side for Indiana, the team is finally getting healthier. McConnell made his season debut in Tuesday's loss against the Utah Jazz, and Nembhard has appeared in three consecutive games after missing a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury. Plus, outside of Haliburton, everybody on the team is expected to return from injury by the end of the season, if not soon.
Even so, getting healthy won't be enough for the Pacers to compete. And a playoff appearance is almost certainly not in the cards this season.
The Pacers are going to continue to struggle without Tyrese Haliburton
Depending on who you ask, Indiana's struggles are either a horrible or promising sight to see.
On one hand, the Pacers are fresh off their first NBA Finals appearance in over two decades, and they have built a reputation as a team that always exceeds expectations. However, they were never likely to make a deep playoff run this season even in the best-case scenario, so finishing with a bad record and potentially a high draft pick might be their best long-term outcome.
No matter what happens this season, the Pacers are likely going to be in title contention once they get their star guard back. He is the engine and heartbeat of everything they do. Without him, it is going to be incredibly difficult for the team to be successful, and they are learning that firsthand.
Indiana can try to replicate Haliburton's value, and getting Nembhard and McConnell back sure does help. But there's a reason the Wisconsin native is so crucial to the team's success: there's no way to replicate what he does on a nightly basis.
Haliburton is one of the best playmakers and facilitators in the game today, and his efficiency and ability to push the tempo make him the perfect fit for the Pacers. Plus, he is a fantastic scorer, and his defense has improved over the years. There is no single player currently in the league who can do what he does, and even prioritizing a group effort to replicate his impact is proving to be difficult for Indiana.
The Pacers are getting most of their guys back, and soon enough, they will resemble their old selves again. However, they have likely dug themselves too deep a hole to get out of, and it might all be about next season for them from here on out.