Next season looks grim for the Indiana Pacers as they will be without Tyrese Haliburton, who will be on the shelf due to his Achilles injury, and Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this offseason. Even so, the Pacers have a talented roster regardless and are in a wide-open Eastern Conference, meaning they can still be a playoff team and make some noise once again.
After taking the best team in the league all the way to Game 7 of the NBA Finals less than a month ago, the Pacers are not likely to make it back next year. However, there is still a lot to like about the team even without Haliburton and Turner, and they should still be in a decent spot next season.
Whether making the playoffs when an NBA Finals appearance is highly unlikely is a good thing or not is up for debate. Regardless, this Pacers team is talented and resilient, and they could take the league by storm again.
The Pacers can shock the basketball world once again
As they made crystal clear during their magical playoff run last season, the Pacers are well-equipped to exceed expectations and achieve what most would consider impossible. Recently, team president Kevin Pritchard said that he thinks the team is at its best when they are doubted. Though it is in a much more upsetting fashion, they have an opportunity to accomplish this once again.
With next season likely being a gap year, Indiana will rely a bit more heavily on players they typically have not up to this point. This includes key players like Andrew Nembhard, who will likely run the point full-time next year, and Bennedict Mathurin, who should get an increased role on the offensive side of the ball. Furthermore, this includes young players like Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, and Johnny Furphy, who may all also be in line for a bigger role.
A lot will need to go their way, but the Pacers can make some serious noise next year. They are still incredibly young and have a lot of potential. Additionally, Rick Carlisle is still one of the best head coaches in the NBA. Though it seems like everything is gloomy in Indiana, they still have a lot going their way. On the flip side, there are plenty of other questions that need to be answered for the long haul.
Indiana will have a tough task in front of them to replace Turner. There are few big men in the league who could match his impact with the team, and it seems like they know that. As it stands, it is looking like they will run a center-by-committee instead of relying on one player to do the job. This could be a good idea, especially with next year being a gap year. However, it is still far from ideal.
It also remains to be seen how this team will look without Haliburton. While Nembhard is a fantastic player and has proven in limited runs that he can run the show, it is safe to assume the offense will take a major step back. Haliburton is the engine of Indiana's offense. Even though Nembhard is great, he is no Haliburton.
The Pacers are in a tough position for next year. However, two things remain clear: they still have plenty of talent, and they have what it takes to go on another magical run. Again.