Assessing the Pacers (21-20) at the halfway point

Tyler Smith January 10, 2018 0

By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor

Lance Stephenson rises for a shot. (Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment) — Lance Stephenson rises for a shot.
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)

INDIANAPOLIS — 41 games down. 41 to go.

The Indiana Pacers have reached the halfway point of the season and have a very respectable 21-20 record. Considering most outlets had them winning around 30 games for the season, it’s safe to say the Pacers have exceeded expectations.

Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting numbers for the team at the halfway point:

-9th in the NBA in points per game (107.9)

-10th in the NBA in assists

-8th in the NBA in offensive rating (108.2) and 21st in defensive rating.

-8th in the NBA in assist/turnover ratio (1.65)

-21-15 overall record when Victor Oladipo plays.

-Shooting 43.2% from three in wins, and 31% from three in losses.

-16-5 record when connecting on 10 or more 3-pointers in a game.

-Commit the 7th fewest fouls in the league (18.5 per game).

-Five wins when trailing by double-digits.

After a loss to the #Heat, Oladipo is ready to turn the page to the #Cavs: "Gotta learn from it, move on and get ready for Friday." #Pacers pic.twitter.com/9nZ7avp1oF

— FOX Sports Indiana (@FSIndiana) January 11, 2018

Now let’s take a look at some of the interesting individual stats of the first half of the season:

Victor Oladipo- Averaging 24.5 points per game. If he keeps that pace, it would be the third highest season average in Pacers NBA history. Danny Granger was the last Pacer to average 25 points per game (2008-2009).

Myles Turner- Ranks second in the NBA in blocks despite missing eight games due to injury.

Darren Collison- Ranks third in the NBA in assist/turnover ratio (4.06). He’s averaging a career-high in assists, and a career-low in turnovers.

Domantas Sabonis- Ranks 14th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (54%), and leads the team in that statistic.

Lance Stephenson- After starting the year 15-of-60 (25%) from the field, he has made 130-of-271 (48%) since.

Bojan Bogdanovic- Since the fifth game of the season, Bogey has connected on 70-of-175 attempts from three (40%).

“I think our guys have shown that they have some potential,” said Pacers Coach Nate McMillan, assessing his team after 41 games. “But we have a lot of growth that we have to continue to see. Going down the stretch, making plays, and really learning to win in certain situations.”

The Eastern Conference has been better than advertised to this point in the season. At 21-20, the Pacers find themselves as the No. 8-seed. They’re only in the playoffs by a half game, but they’re also only three games out of fourth. After 41 games, we’ve learned that this team is better than expected and that Victor Oladipo is a legit All-Star player. Outside of that, this season could go in a number of different directions.

What will the next 41 games have in store? Stay tuned.