Heading into the NBA All-Star break, the Indiana Pacers are 30-23 and stand as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. After making the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Pacers are well-equipped to repeat their postseason success once again. They are a talented team that is gelling as a unit. Furthermore, with their style of play, they are a serious playoff threat no matter who the opponent is. Luckily for fans, it seems that the Pacers' front office also believes this.
Last week was the NBA Trade Deadline. Despite being in a few rumors, the Pacers opted to mostly stand pat and not mess with the roster. Outside of trading James Wiseman (who was already done for the season due to an Achilles injury) to the Toronto Raptors, the Pacers did not make a single move at the deadline.
Most fans were pleased with this decision. This team is largely the same one that made the conference finals last season and was one of the hottest teams over the past couple of months. However, there is some risk involved as they chose to keep the team completely intact instead of seeking a potential upgrade at a position (with Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson being the most likely target).
Now that the first half of the season is over, the Pacers only have a couple of months to prove that standing pat and trusting this unit was the right move.
The Pacers were quiet at the trade deadline
After last season's playoff run, most fans will not be happy with anything short of another conference finals appearance. Though the Pacers have had a rocky season so far, the one constant is that they mostly show up against the top teams. They are 2-1 against the reigning champion Boston Celtics and handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss in over a month on January 12.
Furthermore, in some areas (especially defensively), this current Pacers team is even better than last year's team. By most accounts, the front office was right to keep the roster together. However, it is also important that the Pacers continue to move forward as a result of their decision.
When looking at the Pacers in comparison to the rest of the league, they do not stack up against the true title contenders on paper. They only have one All-Star this season (Pascal Siakam), and they have no award candidates. However, everybody knows that the Pacers are not afraid of competition and can step up and go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the NBA, even if they may look like a lesser team on paper.
The Pacers have the rest of the season to prove they are legitimate title contenders with the roster they currently have.