After a slow start to the season, the Indiana Pacers are starting to find their rhythm. Despite losing three of their last four games to end 2024, there is no denying that the Pacers, who are now mostly healthy, are looking much closer to the team that made the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
With their first game of 2025 (a decisive win over the Miami Heat) officially on the books, the Pacers are now 17-18 and own the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Despite still struggling to reach past the .500 mark, the Pacers have given their fans reasons to be excited for the rest of the season.
The Pacers still have a long way to go to re-establish themselves as title contenders. However, they are inching closer, and that has mostly been reflected in the experts' power rankings.
Where the Pacers rank in the NBA to begin 2025
Website | Ranking | Previous ranking |
|---|---|---|
Bleacher Report | 18 | 19 |
CBS Sports | 19 | 21 |
ESPN | 19 | 18 |
NBA | 16 | 18 |
NBC Sports | 18 | 17 |
The latest batch of NBA power rankings is a bit of a mixed bag for the Pacers. While most of the sites have the Pacers ranked higher than they did previously, a couple of them have them ranked lower. Regardless, all of them now have the Pacers in the top 20 across the entire NBA.
While the Pacers did end 2024 on a pretty sour note, it is noteworthy that they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers did suffer some brutal losses in those games, including a 37-point loss in Boston, but all three of these teams are above the Pacers in the standings and should be considered legitimate title contenders.
What is important to keep an eye on for Indiana is how they fare the rest of the way. As it stands, they have the ninth-most difficult strength of schedule remaining. Additionally, the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are the only two Eastern Conference teams with a more difficult schedule in their path.
The Pacers still must play the league-leading Cavaliers four times this season. Furthermore, Indiana is still set to play the Thunder, Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Houston Rockets one more time this season.
They may have a tough road ahead of them, but the Pacers are starting to remind the basketball world just how good they can be. Additionally, with the trade deadline about a month away, they also remain a team to monitor for a potential move. At this rate, another postseason appearance seems likely for the Pacers. Whether they can make another deep run, however, remains to be seen.