Pacers Season Preview
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s not your typical start to a new basketball season, but the NBA is back. After Friday night’s final preseason tuneup, the Indiana Pacers are ready for the real thing next week.
So what should we expect from the 2020-2021 Pacers? It’s easy to say “more of the same”, since the roster is basically a carbon copy of last season. But there are plenty of other factors in play to guarantee that assessment. Such as:
•Brand new coaching staff
•Better health?
•An improved Eastern Conference
National projections are never too kind to the Pacers, but you have to admit: The East is very difficult to predict this season. I can name five or six teams that could fit anywhere between the No. 2 and No. 7 seeds, with the Pacers being one of them. Here are some of the biggest questions for the Pacers this year:
1. Which Victor Oladipo will Indiana get?
Several questions can fit into this category, actually. Will Oladipo’s contract situation become a distraction? Will he be healthy? Will he play more like the 2018 All-Star version, the 2020 version, or somewhere in between?
A lot of fans wanted Oladipo traded because of the potential problems he could bring. But you can’t argue this point: The Pacers’ ceiling is largely dependent on Mr. Oladipo. This is a good roster, but it needs an explosive player than can break down a defense. If Oladipo is healthy, he could be that guy. And if Friday’s game was any indication, Vic has a chance to find the magic again. Sometimes, a contract year is a distraction. Other times, it brings out the best in a player.
“I’m feeling good,” Oladipo said. “I’m getting better every day. It’s a process, but no complaints here. I’ve just got to keep improving and keep working hard.” He continued: “I’ve got something to prove every day of my life. I’ve just got to be myself, and go, and everything will take care of itself.”
2. How much change will the coaching staff actually bring?
It’s easy to win the press conference, and much harder to win on the court. And though former Coach Nate McMillan was awful in the post-season, you could argue that he was a “floor-raiser” who got the most out of his teams in the regular season. If that’s the case, replicating the regular season winning percentage may be tougher than you think, especially in an improved Eastern Conference. Not to mention, the new coaching staff has been hyped up for the offensive side- but can they lead the team to a top-six defense like McMillan and company did?
Personally, I think Nate Bjorkgren and company are going to prove to be great for this franchise. I like what I’ve seen, and have loved everything I’ve heard- not only from them, but from great basketball minds around the league. It will be refreshing to see a modern offense with this group. And even if it results in similar regular-season success, it should give this team a much better chance to win when it counts.
Despite the winless preseason, Bjorkgren is pleased with his group: “I’ve loved their approach,” he said Friday night. “Since the day we got here, I’ve appreciated their approach to practice, their attentiveness in huddles, and their preparation for games. It’s the sign of a good team. We’re excited to play for real next week.”
3. How will the Pacers handle minutes at the 4 and 5 spots?
You know Pacers basketball is officially back when you have the Turner/Sabonis discussion yet again. But this season, it might even be deeper than just the Turbonis pairing. Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said Goga Bitazde would play quite a bit this year, and also said TJ Warren needs to play some at the 4 position. For those things to happen, where do those minutes come from when the team is fully healthy? Myles Turner is often needed for defense- and still might take a leap forward offensively with the new system. Domantas Sabonis is a beast and should play as much as possible. Some nights they can play together more, and other nights- staggered minutes will make more sense. But it will be something to watch once again.
It will be interesting to see if and when fans are allowed back at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. It will also be interesting to see if the continuity of the Pacers roster will help them compared to other teams with more roster changes. And since it’s a 72-game schedule, getting off to a good start will be important. The Pacers will face inevitable health issues throughout the season, especially in a Covid year. But as long as they can stay relatively healthy, especially compared to last season, I like their chances of proving the “experts” wrong once again.
Be sure to check out some excellent season-preview content here:
