Smith: Five things we know about the Pacers so far
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Thirteen games are in the books for the Indiana Pacers (7-6), and there’s still a ton we don’t know about this team. We wouldn’t have all the answers even if they were healthy, let alone dealing with a crazy amount of injuries. But here are some things we’ve learned and (probably) know about this team so far:
- Malcolm Brogdon is the real deal.
There’s a reason Kevin Pritchard called it an “epic day” when the Pacers signed Brogdon. Through 12 games of his Pacers career, Brogdon is averaging 19.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. And that’s without finding his 3-point shot yet, which was at a 43% clip last season. Assistant Coach Dan Burke said Brogdon is the best vocal leader he’s seen since Reggie Miller. He wanted to be a Pacer. He wanted to be a feature player. And the best part? He’s locked up for years to come before this explosion took place. As I mentioned on the “Setting the Pace” Podcast before the season started- The Pacers only had one star coming into the season, but Brogdon could turn into one. So far, so good.
2. The Pacers have a ton of depth.
We knew this team had a lot of capable players before they started playing games. But now, the question often asked is: “Do you guys have too much depth?” Injuries can be a blessing when they allow other guys to step up. I have no idea what the rotation will look like with everyone healthy later this season. I don’t envy Nate McMillan. But it’s a great problem to have. And as we’ve seen with these injuries, there’s no such thing as too much depth.
3. T.J. McConnell was a great signing.
After the first few games of the season, many of us were questioning why McConnell was even here. He wasn’t playing well, and the Pacers already had Aaron Holiday to play backup point guard minutes. Since that time? McConnell has proven the doubters wrong. He’s averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 assists off the bench in his last four games. He has a great connection with Doug McDermott, and he’s been a much-needed spark in several games. Aaron Holiday has also been playing well, which will make things interesting in the near future. For now, it looks like the Pacers are in good shape having both guys on their squad.
4. Two bigs, or not two bigs, that is the question.
Even with Turner and Sabonis both locked up to long-term contracts, the narrative among fans about the pairing won’t seem to go away. On a nightly basis, someone tells me the Pacers are better without Turner. Yes, they are 1-4 with him this season (and the one win is when he left early), but it’s not a fair sample size. Not to mention, this team has won 48 games the last two seasons with Turner as the starting 5. Sabonis is proving to be the beast we all knew he could be, averaging nearly 20 points and 13 rebounds per game. But we don’t know anything about this duo playing together yet, and probably won’t for a while. I’ve always believed they are both needed. Two young and talented players with different skill sets? That’s a luxury, not a problem. I think we can all agree on one thing- Some nights, the Pacers would be better off using one of the two on the floor to finish games. Often times, that will be Sabonis. But it will depend on match-ups, and that doesn’t mean Turner is any less valuable.
5. This could be a fun year.
After losing Bogdanovic and Young, and after starting the season 0-3, fans were getting a little worried about this season. The Pacers have gone 7-3 since, and have started to show more potential with the second unit and on the defensive side of the ball. Just imagine the lineup of Turner, Sabonis, Warren, Oladipo and Brogdon, followed by a second unit of Lamb, Sumner, McConnel, McDermott, Holiday, and others. Nate McMillan will have his boys ready for battle. And when this team gets healthy, they’re going to be a problem in the East.
