Through their first seven games of the season, the Indiana Pacers shot 30.1% on wide-open three-point field goal attempts, according to NBA.com. This ranks as second-worst in the NBA, only ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, who are shooting 27% on wide-open threes.
But what does this mean exactly?
Even though the Pacers' offense currently looks like a shell of its past self (which was always expected to be the case at least until Tyrese Haliburton returns from his Achilles injury), they are still generating good looks. They're just not making them.
The biggest takeaway of Indiana's offense so far is that its identity hasn't changed. It doesn't matter who is holding it down at point guard or center. With Rick Carlisle still leading the way as the Pacers' head coach, the team will always prioritize pushing the tempo and moving the ball a lot. As it stands, their 343.3 passes per game rank first in the league, which further proves that the Pacers' system is here to stay.
Barring some absolutely berserk circumstances, another deep playoff run is not in the cards for Indiana this season. The team is already dealing with a plethora of injuries, and with a 1-6 record, they rank near the bottom of the league standings. However, this doesn't mean that they can't at least somewhat get back to form, and given this development, it could happen at any moment.
The Pacers can only go up from here
This season has been a disappointment for Indiana. And given how low the expectations were heading into it, that's almost a shocking belief for some to have. Still, that is the reality for the Pacers right now. But they really can only get better from here.
Amid their disappointing start, though, the Pacers do have some silver linings to focus on.
Players like RayJ Dennis, Quenton Jackson, and Jarace Walker have all shown flashes early on in the season, and Pascal Siakam has maybe looked even better than many expected him to.
As the Pacers' main focal point on offense, the Cameroon native was always expected to take on a significantly bigger role this season and remind the basketball world just how good he can be. So far, he has done exactly that and then some.
In his first six games this season, Siakam averaged 25 points, 9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.3 steals. Every single one of these stats would be a career-high for him. Additionally, he is shooting 44.3% from the field and 37.1% from deep. His efficiency has taken a hit, but given how much more pressure is on him now to generate offense, this was almost a guarantee.
Plus, the Pacers (at some point) will get all their players back. T.J. McConnell, who has yet to suit up this season due to a hamstring injury, should be back on the court soon. Additionally, Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin are still expected to return from their injuries, though their exact timetable is still unclear.
Pacers fans have the right to be pessimistic about the team's outlook, but things should only get better from here on out. What that leads to exactly remains to be seen, but a breakthrough is almost a guarantee for Indiana. It's just a matter of when.