Heading into the 2024-25 NBA season, the Indiana Pacers are hoping that their success from last year will carry over into the new campaign.
The Pacers shocked the NBA world and made an Eastern Conference Finals appearance for the first time since 2014. And despite getting swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, the Pacers proved they belonged on the big stage. Some would even say the Pacers gave Boston their toughest challenge of the postseason.
However, despite their conference finals run, the Pacers are still getting overlooked. When discussing serious title contenders in the Eastern Conference next season, the Pacers are rarely mentioned. Instead, the Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers (now with former Pacers star Paul George) are considered the top teams in the conference.
Despite still being underdogs, the Pacers have a lot of momentum and should be even better next season. Luckily for the team, there are still some within the NBA circle who believe in their chances to have another incredible run next season.
Utah Jazz big man Micah Potter believes the Pacers will build off their 2023-24 season
In a recent interview on the Locked On Pacers podcast, Potter spoke about the team's outlook for next season. Potter played with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton as a member of the USA select team during the 2024 Paris Olympics, and he was able to see first-hand what type of talent the 24-year-old has.
Potter said the Pacers "have a really good chance to be really good" next season.
"The Pacers, I think, have a really good chance to be really good. Obviously, they had an incredible run last year," Potter said.
Additionally, the 26-year-old cited the team's "continuity" and "increased chemistry" as the main reasons the Pacers should improve next season.
"Having just the continuity of people like that, and people that have been there. Everyone's going to get better in the summer," Potter said of Indiana. "And then you just have the increased chemistry... And now you know what it takes."
The Pacers had a quiet offseason this summer, at least in terms of external additions. In the offseason, the Pacers signed center James Wiseman and selected wing Johnny Furphy in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. However, outside of these two, the team did not bring in any notable players who will likely contribute immediately.
Still, Indiana is banking on natural progression for all of their players. And considering how young the team is and what they accomplished last year, this might be the right call. Ultimately, the Pacers have a few more obstacles ahead of them next season, but they should be considered a top team in the conference and could surprise some people once again.