A look at the Pacers Playoff and Draft status
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — As the Pacers disappointing season begins to wind down, let’s take a look at where they stand in the playoff/draft picture. A lot can still change, but they appear to be destined for the “play-in” tournament that includes the No. 7-10 seeds in the Eastern Conference.
How does the play-in tourney work? The No. 7-seed plays No. 8, and the No. 9-seed plays No.10. The winner of 7/8 earns the 7th spot, while the loser of that game plays the winner of the 9/10 game for the 8th and final playoff spot. If the Pacers stay in the 9/10 range, they will have to win two straight games to make the playoffs.
With 15 games to play, the Pacers currently sit in 9th place:
-2 1/2 games behind Charlotte for 8th
-3 1/2 games behind Miami for 7th
-2 games ahead of Chicago.
-2 1/2 games ahead of Toronto, and Washington.
Do Pacer fans even want this team to make the playoffs this year? That depends on who you ask. But with injuries piling up, and an extremely small chance of winning a playoff series, moving up a few more spots in the draft would be a lot more valuable. There’s not enough time for a full-on “tank”… but if the Pacers can move up to the 7th or 8th pick in the draft compared to the 11th or 12th? That has a nice ring to it.
If the season ended today, the Pacers would have the 12th pick in the NBA draft. They won’t be “catching” the Cavs, Magic, Pistons, Thunder, Rockets, or Timberwolves for a higher draft pick. But the three teams previously mentioned (Raptors, Bulls, Wizards), along with the Pelicans and Kings are within striking distance in “Operation Soft-Tank.”
The Pacers have never been an organization to throw games down the stretch of a season. But this isn’t like other years. There’s not a whole lot of pride to be had, even if the Pacers sneak in to the playoffs. Not only could they obtain a much-needed higher draft pick, but they could also use these final 15 games to play the young guys and not risk even more injuries to the core players they want to keep (or trade) moving forward. The Pacers still have two games with Washington, one game with Toronto, and one game with Sacramento remaining on their schedule. If nothing else, we can keep tabs on the draft status before this underwhelming season comes to an end.
