The Pacers are better than you thought
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — A quarter of the season is in the books, and the Indiana Pacers are way better than you thought.
With a 121-109 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night, the Pacers improved to 12-9 on the season. No Paul George? No problem.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and look at some of those predictions that were made about the Pacers before the season:
SB Nation– “The Pacers will be close. Losing Paul George, C.J. Miles, and Jeff Teague is such a drain on this team’s passing ability and versatility. It’s going to be a long season for Nate McMillan and the few veterans (like Al Jefferson) on the squad. But hey, Lance Stephenson is around! [hits face on desk]”
CBS Sports– Our SportsLine projection: 30.6 wins Vegas line: 31.0 wins Projected playoff chances: 3.2 percent Outlook: The Paul George trade signaled a new era of Pacer basketball, with Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo as the new cornerstones. Indiana will be bad, but playing in the East should help them land right around that 31-win mark.
ESPN- Indiana Pacers– Projected 11th in the Eastern Conference. Projected wins: 32.0After trading George and losing Jeff Teague in free agency, the Pacers could struggle to score. RPM has them dropping from a league-average offense last season to 27th on a per-possession basis in 2017-18.
Bleacher Report– Indiana Pacers Prediction- 12th in the Eastern Conference. (30-52), 5 percent playoff probability, 500/1 title odds.
Now, let’s look at where they stack up by the numbers.
Coming into Monday night, the Pacers offense ranked:
-3rd in field goal percentage (47.8%)
-1st in 3-point percentage (40.0%)
-7th in assists per game (23.5)
-8th in points per game (108.3)
-9th in Pace
-6th in offensive rating (107.4)
Defensively, the Pacers are 17th in defensive rating, coming in at 10th in the NBA in net rating.
If those numbers don’t make you believe, check out the power rankings from @NBA_Math. They base power rankings on many factors: Margin of victory, per-possession success, and strength of schedule. Factoring all of that in, they have the Pacers as the 11th best team in the NBA.
12. Denver Nuggets: 101.119
11. Indiana Pacers: 101.127
10. San Antonio Spurs: 101.203https://t.co/Z4Uu05vP9R pic.twitter.com/nEK14yqeXm— NBA Math (@NBA_Math) November 27, 2017
Maybe you’re thinking the Pacers have played a soft schedule. Think again.
Based off of this week’s NBA Power Rankings, the Pacers have wins over the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th best teams in the NBA. They played a road-heavy schedule to begin the year, and have fared much better in road games this season. They’ve battled some injuries. They’re basically a brand-new team. Add all of this up, and you have to be impressed with the 12-9 start.
#Pacers basketball circa 2017-18: Don’t believe what they said. Believe what you see. And man, it's looking good. @Pacers pic.twitter.com/kuC29Cry6x
— FOX Sports Indiana (@FSIndiana) November 27, 2017
“We definitely are versatile,” said Victor Oladipo after another strong performance. “How we respond to adversity has been good so far too.”
His teammate Myles Turner added: “One thing I love about this team- we compete. We never stop competing and you have to have a fire like that.”
I haven’t even mentioned the numerous fans/media alike that bashed the Pacers for the Paul George trade. How has that worked out? Oladipo is playing like an All-Star, and currently 4th among all Shooting Guards in Player Efficiency Rating. Domantas Sabonis is just 21 years old and playing like a seasoned veteran with a ton of potential.
There’s still a long way to go this season, and there’s still a chance the Pacers are playing a little over their heads. But in my eyes, they’ve already proven themselves as a legit team. They’re going to come at you every night. They’re going to be fun to watch. They’ll continue playing unselfish, team basketball.
A high pick in next year’s draft would be nice. But so will watching playoff basketball with this group.
One quarter of the season down, and three to go. Don’t miss a second of this group in action. They’re better than you thought, and worth getting behind.
