The Indiana Pacers' season was potentially doomed before it even started, but the team is still finding new ways to make fans disappointed.
On Wednesday night, the Pacers lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 112-103, which were the last winless team heading into the contest. With this loss, Indiana's 1-7 record is now tied with the Nets and Washington Wizards for worst record in the entire NBA.
The Pacers should be able to get back on track
It should be made clear that the Pacers' struggles are not entirely their fault. They are dealing with a ton of injuries, especially to key players.
We're not even a month into the season, yet the Pacers are dealing with injuries to Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell, and Obi Toppin, among many others.
Haliburton is going to miss the entire season due to an Achilles injury, but everybody else should be back at least by the end of the regular season, if not much sooner. Because of this, Indiana should be able to get things back on track once it gets its players back. And it desperately needs that boost.
Through their first eight games of the season, the Pacers are the third-worst offensive team in the NBA by offensive rating (106.6). Additionally, their 111.6 PPG also rank as the third-worst in the league. In theory, they still look like the same offense in the sense that their playstyle hasn't really changed. They are still pushing the tempo, making a ton of passes, and making quick decisions.
However, the Pacers are very quickly realizing what life without Haliburton (or nearly all of their top players) is like, and it's not pretty.
They can still generate good looks and go on runs, but Indiana's offense is far less efficient and high-powered without its top guys. Pascal Siakam is playing great, to be fair, but he can only do so much as the Pacers' only real offensive threat on the court (Aaron Nesmith is playing well overall, but his efficiency has taken a huge hit, shooting just 34.2% from the field and 34.3% from deep so far).
At some point, the shots will fall and the Pacers will get their players back. Until then, though, they are likely just going to continue looking like a shell of the team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals just months ago. And, either Wednesday's game may have been the wake-up call they needed, or this is just another sign that maybe winning isn't their main priority this season.