The Indiana Pacers stand alone as the worst team in the NBA, and they have not given any reason to believe that will change by the end of the season. But that might not be a bad thing entirely as they now have an opportunity to land a high draft pick this year and land someone who could be a game-changer for them moving forward.
In a recent episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," Simmons spoke about how he thinks Indiana might be "fine" with finishing the season as the worst team in the NBA for that exact reason.
"Indiana is now 6-30 with no signs of life... they're going to be the worst team in the league. I think they're fine with it. They'll start shelving guys, scratching guys, and what that does is that locks down a top-[five] pick, which is important because we have [Darryn] Peterson and [Cam] Boozer and [AJ] Dybantsa. ... Even if you get four and you end up with Caleb Wilson, it's like 'Fine. That guy might be a multiple-time All-NBA guy.'"
There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Pacers
Knowing that they were just one win away from an NBA Championship last year, owning the worst record in the league isn't necessarily a good thing for the Pacers. But given their circumstances, it's fair to assume that they will return to form soon enough and potentially be even better than they were before.
Tyrese Haliburton is out for the year due to an Achilles injury, and the Pacers have dealt with numerous injuries to other key players as well. Obi Toppin and Bennedict Mathurin are both sidelined indefinitely, and players like Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and T.J. McConnell have all missed extensive time as well.
In theory, once all these players return, Indiana should be able to re-establish itself as a legitimate title contender. This is especially true given how wide open the Eastern Conference is.
Beyond just getting healthy again, however, the Pacers also have another unique opportunity to re-enter the title picture. And it all stems from this year's draft.
If the Pacers end up with the worst record in the NBA (which is a very reasonable assumption at this point), they will be guaranteed a top-five pick in the draft. Additionally, they will have fantastic odds to land the first overall pick. And in this year's draft specifically, this could be huge for Indiana.
As Simmons mentioned, there is a consensus top-three in this year's draft class of potential franchise players: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cam Boozer. All three of these players have All-NBA upside, and they would likely all go first overall if they weren't in the same class. Additionally, Caleb Wilson is having a fantastic season at UNC and would be another player the Pacers should be happy with.
This season has been a nightmare for the Pacers, and that's not likely to change. But there are still reasons to be optimistic about the future, even if it doesn't seem that way at the moment.