With the inevitability of NBA expansion inching closer and closer, now seems like as good a time as any to reflect on when the Indiana Pacers had a young Scott Skiles taken away from them in 1989 by the Orlando Magic in an expansion draft.
In a recent article for Lake Show Life, Josh Cornellisen wrote about when the La Porte, Indiana, native, who was just 25 years old at the time, was taken by Orlando in the 1989 expansion draft before blossoming into a legitimate contributor.
Another future head coach, Scott Skiles was a point guard in the 1980s playing for his hometown Indiana Pacers when he was taken 11th in the 1989 expansion draft. He would break out two seasons later, winning Most Improved Player and serving a key role for the Orlando Magic for a half-decade.
Scott Skiles became a solid player after his Pacers tenure
For some context, Skiles was drafted 22nd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1986 and spent his rookie season there before getting traded to the Pacers the following year.
In his two seasons in Indiana, Skiles averaged 5.9 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 rebounds while shooting 43.6% from the field in 17.8 minutes. He started just 15 games during his Pacers tenure and was primarily a backup to Vern Fleming. Though he was solid during his time in Indiana, Skiles was far from irreplaceable, and it culminated in him joining a newly formed Magic team.
It didn't take long for Skiles to break out, either. In his first season in Orlando, he averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and just 1.3 turnovers while shooting 40.9% from the field and 39.4% from deep. He also started 32 games. All of these numbers were career highs, outside of his FG%.
In his second season with the Magic, he further blossomed, averaging 17.2 points, 8.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals while shooting 44.5% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc in his first season primarily as a starter (he started 66 of his 79 games that season).
This was by far Skiles' best season of his career, before and since. Not only did he earn the Most Improved Player award for that year, but he also became the first NBA player to record 30 assists in a game, which remains a league record to this day.
After five seasons in Orlando, Skiles played for one season each with the Washington Bullets and Philadelphia 76ers to end his NBA playing career.
Scott Skiles was likely gone from the Pacers anyway
Even if the expansion draft hadn't happened, Skiles likely wasn't long for Indiana anyway. There were reports of him being unhappy with the team's effort and his lack of opportunity, and it's not like he was a critical part of the team's success, especially at that time.
Still, it's an interesting story nonetheless, and it could be one to keep in mind if another expansion draft is coming to the NBA sooner rather than later.