The Indiana Pacers are coming off a season where they were the surprise team of the league. After the Paul George trade, which landed them Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, most predicted the Pacers to have a rebuilding year. However, Oladipo had other plans. The first-time All-Star surged to an efficient 23 points per game and the Most Improved Player award, as well as appearances on All-Defensive and All-NBA teams.
With a stout supporting cast that included Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young, Darren Collison, and company, the Pacers clinched the East’s fifth seed. In the playoffs, the Pacers challenged LeBron James’s Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games before succumbing to the King.
While the Pacers have young pieces in Oladipo, Turner, and Sabonis, three of their starters from last season are now 29 years old or older. Even Oladipo himself will be 26 going into this season, so this team is poised to win now. With that in mind, the Pacers made some key moves to bolster the roster.
Notable offseason moves:
- Drafted Aaron Holiday (UCLA) with the 23rd pick
- Drafted Alize Johnson (Missouri State) with the 50th pick
- Declined team option for Lance Stephenson
- Signed Tyreke Evans and Kyle O’Quinn to one-year deals
- Signed Doug McDermott to a multi-year deal
- Thaddeus Young opts in to contract
- Extended head coach Nate McMillan to a multi-year deal
From an outside perspective, the moves may seem minor in nature, but these were much-needed upgrades to the Pacers roster. Declining Stephenson’s team option was a shock to fans at first, but replacing him with Tyreke Evans is an upgrade in almost every way. The key for Evans, as always, will be to stay healthy, but on a one year deal, he is well worth the risk.
A major weakness off the bench for the Pacers last season was shooting. Only one player (Corey Joseph) on last year’s bench shot 35 percent or higher from the three-point line while taking at least two 3s per game. Which means after Oladipo, Collison, and Bojan Bogdanovic the Pacers sorely lacked any shooters. Indiana took a step to improve this by signing McDermott to a multi-year deal. McDermott should provide bench depth for Bogdanovic and bring a much-needed boost of perimeter offense from the bench.
Kyle O’Quinn will bring energy and defense to the big man rotation with Turner and Sabonis. While the two young bigs will soak up most of the minutes down low, O’Quinn will have a role as a veteran presence who can defend some of the best big men in the league.
Between the two draft picks, Aaron Holiday looks to be the most likely to make an impact in Year One. If he can prove to be a reliable defender and consistent shooter then there’s a role for him on this team (and perhaps he will replace Collison in the starting lineup someday). Alize Johnson impressed in the Summer League with his springy athleticism and hustle. However, he’ll face stiff competition for playing time this season. Expect to see him spend some time in Fort Wayne this upcoming season.
Indiana didn’t only add to its roster this season, it also retained some of the core. Forward Thaddeus Young opted into his player option and the Pacers extended head coach Nate McMillan. Both of these moves ensure consistency in a team that had strong chemistry. Perhaps someday there will be better replacements for these two, but today this is a move that strengthens the current team.
2018-2019 Outlook
The Pacers were a good team last year and they walk into this season with the same core alongside a few key additions. With the departure of LeBron, the East has never been more wide open. While the Celtics, Raptors, and Sixers have been the talk of the East, the Pacers are quietly sitting right behind them.
The cohesiveness of this team should not be looked over — their balanced offensive (12th in offensive rating last season) and defensive (12th in defensive rating) attack can wear teams down. And with the quality additions in the offseason, the Pacers only became deeper.
Do not be surprised if by the end of the season the Pacers are in the mix for a top three seed in the East.
