The Indiana Pacers began the season 2-15, tied with the Washington Wizards for the worst record in the NBA. They were in a prime position to just let the season ride out, "tank," and secure a high pick for what's expected to be a loaded 2026 NBA Draft. After all, a deep playoff run this season was always unlikely without Tyrese Haliburton.
But the Pacers are quickly turning things around, and this may not be a good thing.
The Pacers may be winning a bit too much
Indiana is getting healthier and is slowly climbing up the rankings. The team is 3-2 in their last five games, and their two losses were to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets.
After a putrid start to the season (which led to them being ranked among the worst teams in the league on both sides of the ball), the Pacers are slowly looking like their old selves... well, at least as much as they can given the circumstances.
In their last five games, according to NBA.com, they are averaging 116.2 PPG (13th-best in the NBA) while shooting 50.3% from the field (sixth-best) and 39% from deep (eighth-best). They are also averaging 7.4 BPG in that stretch (tied with the Houston Rockets for the league lead), and their 3.8 net rating ranks as the 10th-best.
Indiana is still just 5-18, but it is just four games behind the No. 10 seed Milwaukee Bucks, who are already trending down as they are 2-8 in their last 10 games. And that's not even factoring in that Giannis Antetokounmpo may have already played his last game for the franchise.
At this rate, the Pacers could legitimately be a postseason team once again. And they're doing this while Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith are still on the shelf as well.
The Pacers aren't known for tanking, and it would probably be unfair to say that that should change this season. But, even though they have built a reputation for exceeding expectations, another deep playoff run this season is incredibly unlikely. They have dug themselves into a very deep hole, and their ceiling is much lower without their star guard.
At this point, it seems like the Pacers are going to do whatever they can to make it back to the playoffs. And it's hard to blame them. They are the reigning Eastern Conference champions, and they are still a very talented team. But they have an incredibly unique opportunity to redefine the Haliburton era by landing a top guy in next year's draft to what was already a championship-caliber core.
Hopefully for them, it all works out in the end. Because at this rate, they could be making a big mistake by chasing a trophy that's not likely to be attainable this season anyway.