Things don't look great for the Indiana Pacers right now. Their 10-34 is the worst in the Eastern Conference, they won't have Tyrese Haliburton for the whole season, and they still don't have a clear answer at center.
In spite of all of that, though, the future in Indiana might be even brighter than it was heading into the season. And that's all that matters.
The Pacers' future is incredibly bright
Whether this season is a success or not really depends on two factors: internal development and getting a high draft pick.
The internal development has been a bit shaky. Without Haliburton or Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency, many Pacers were going to be tasked with taking on bigger roles than they were used to. And roughly halfway through the season, the results have been mixed.
While Pascal Siakam is thriving as Indiana's No. 1 option and Andrew Nembhard is making strides as its primary playmaker, guys like Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, Isaiah Jackson, and even Aaron Nesmith (to a much lesser degree) haven't made the most of their new opportunities.
Plus, the jury is still out on Bennedict Mathurin, who was scorching-hot to begin the season before coming back down to earth and is now on the shelf due to a thumb sprain (though there is probably a direct correlation there).
Still, even if nobody took a step forward, there were reasons to believe that the Pacers (who were just one win away from their first-ever NBA Championship last year) would be right back in the title hunt next season. They should get Haliburton back, and they are still in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
As for Indiana's lottery standings, things look great right now. The team is just 0.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, who currently own the worst record in the NBA. If the Pacers end the season with the league's worst record, they will have a guaranteed top-five pick (with a good chance to secure the No. 1 overall selection) in what's expected to be a loaded 2026 draft class.
Any one of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson would be an incredible addition for the Pacers. And adding one of them and Haliburton in the same season could be exactly what they need to make it back to the NBA Finals and maybe even get over the hump.
Times are tough in Indiana right now, but better days are certainly ahead. And in a strange way, the Pacers' outlook might look even better now than it did at this time last year.