UA-59049186-1 NBA Team Preview: Indiana Pacers - Good if it Goes

NBA Team Preview: Indiana Pacers

Offseason:

Draft Picks: 50. F. Georges Niang

Key Acquisitions: C. Al Jefferson, PF. Thaddeus Young, PG. Jeff Teague

Key Losses: PG. George Hill, C. Ian Mahnini, PF. Jordan Hill

Player Profiles

Projected Lineup

PG. Jeff Teague: 6’2, 186

  • Quick balanced PG with prototype size.
  • Very good PnR PG that can utilize the ball screens to create for others or set himself up for opportunites. He can knock down the pull up jump shots but also turn the screen and get in the lane for a lay-up or make floaters.
  • Decent defensive PG that can keep things in front of him.

SG. Monta Ellis: 6’3, 185

  • Aging, undersized combo guard whose athleticism is beginning to leave him.
  • His inability to shoot the 3 at a good percentage is really hurting his offensive value now that he’s playing without the ball more. He’s still capable of scoring with the ball and getting to the basket for a spectacular lay-up but he’s not the player he used to be on offense.
  • In a shocking turn of events he’s become more valuable on defense than on offense. The hops aren’t what they once were but for the moment he’s still plenty quick and he utilizes that asset well on defense.

SF. Paul George: 6’10, 220

  • Star wing with incredible size and length that can play at an elite level on both ends of the court.
  • Offensively he can do it all from scoring with or without the ball to initiating the offense and creating for others. He’s 1 of the best non PG ball handlers in the game.
  • Elite defender that can take opposing team’s best perimeter scorer and shut them down.

PF. Thaddeus Young: 6’8, 221

  • Undersized athletic PF that can score and was surprisingly very effective rebounding a year ago.  
  • After spending his early years as a tweener combo forward he’s carved out a nice niche as a undersized full-time small ball PF that can take advantage of bigger slower opponents. He definitely has his limitations, but he’s 1 of the best 6’8 PFs you’re ever gonna see these days.
  • He doesn’t block shots and can be scored on down low by taller players as expected given his size but he does a lot of other positive things on defense. His mobility is ideal for today’s NBA and with less and less teams posting up his weaknesses aren’t as big as they would’ve been in the past.

C. Myles Turner: 6’11, 243

  • Blossoming young big man with star potential.
  • Had a stellar rookie year offensively. Showed off a highly skilled and versatile game flashing the ability to score inside and out. The kid can shoot it comfortable out to 20 feet, he can score with his back to the basket and he can handle the ball and use that to set up dribble drive scores from face up position.
  • Was a big-time shot blocker in his rookie year averaging over 3 blocks per 36 minutes and he has the mobility to defend away from the basket.

 

Bench:

C. Al Jefferson: 6’10, 290

  • Declining low post maestro whose body may be starting to break down.
  • When healthy he’s the best offensive low post technician in the game. Nobody has better moves on the block and despite his lack of athleticism or height he’s supremely effective because of his moves and footwork.
  • His limitations on defense are no secret but he is good at some things which help make him a plus defender. Because of his strength and experience he’s good at defending bigs inside and denying position.

SF. CJ Miles: 6’6, 225

  • Average size SF that loves to chunk 3s.
  • He attempts a ton of 3s and he can hit em. Over 60% of his total shot attempts were from 3 and he made nearly 37% of them.
  • Average defensive player that can execute the gameplan and is capable of defending as a wing or small ball 4 but doesn’t have a huge impact on that end.

SG. Rodney Stuckey: 6’5, 205

  • Attacking combo guard that is limited due to his shaky jump shot.
  • Best utilized as a backup combo guard where he can handle both playmaking and scoring duties against 2nd units. His shooting struggles have plagued them his entire career and don’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
  • Average defender that can utilize his size advantage to contest when defending 1s and has enough athletic ability to hand with most 2s.

PG. Aaron Brooks: 6’0, 161

  • Speedy but severely undersized backup PG that can provide an offensive spark.
  • Offensively he’s forced to take a lot of jump shots due to his lack of size and when he does get to the paint he struggles to finish in traffic.
  • As expected with a guy his size he just doesn’t have any impact on the defensive end besides uses his quickness to contain isolation penetration.

PF. Kevin Seraphin: 6’10, 278

  • Big body post player who is coming off the worst year of his career after gaining weight and dealing with a knee injury.
  • He was never a great offensive player but it’s probably fair to say last season where he only made 41% of his shots. The year before he was a reliable mid-range shooter and made a high percentage of his attempts around the basket.
  • He’s always been a good rim protector given his stature, ability to jump and 7’3 wingspan and last season in the midst of his worst offensive season had his best year blocking shots.  

PF. Levoy Allen: 6’9, 250

  • Undersized PF with a thick frame that likes to shoot long 2s.
  • He’s effective off the ball around the basket and close range and given his percentages 10 and in you’d think he’d venture to get more of his shot attempts from that area where he’s more effective, instead he settles for too many long 2s and doesn’t connect at nearly a high enough rate.
  • Despite his lack of height he’s a plus defender that does his job on that end.

SG. Joe Young: 6’2, 180

  • Undersized off guard looking to bounce back from a disappointing rookie season.
  • Despite being 1 of the better scorers and shooters in the college game he really struggled to make shots from all areas of the floor as a rookie. Even though he is undersized he’s got the quickness and athletic ability to overcome it as he gets more accustomed to the NBA level.
  • As to be expected being an undersized rookie he didn’t make a huge impact on the defensive end and was a negative defender.

 

Breakdown

The Pacers starting 5 will experience a change this season with some quality new additions. The biggest perhaps in the backcourt in Jeff Teague who finally gives the Pacers a traditional PG that can play with the ball and take some of the pressure off George to play with the ball so much. Ellis is back to start at SG. It would be nice if he could hit 35% or so of his 3s this year since he’s sure to handle the ball even less with Hill out and Teague in as the new starting point. He’s going to find himself playing off the ball more and needs to do his part to keep the floor spaced. The Pacers started moving towards small ball a year ago and plan to continue the trend with the addition of Young who is a much better option as a small ball 4 than CJ Miles. He can’t shoot it the way Miles can but he can make shots from mid-range and put the ball on the floor and put pressure on bigger defenders. And he’s a better defender and rebounder. Paul George will start at SF. He looks to have the best season of his career and finally lead the Pacers out of the East. He should be in the early MVP watch list conversation. And 2nd year man Myles Turner will start at center as he could potentially become an all-star this year. He protects the rim at a high rate and he gets it done on offense.

The Pacers bench is loaded with players who can come in and put up points. It all starts with Al Jefferson who took a pay cut and agreed to a lesser role in the hopes of playing in his 1st NBA finals. He’ll most likely be a 6th man of the year candidate if he can stay healthy as I don’t expect 2nd unit defenders to be able to handle him. Stuckey came off the bench and did a good job a year ago for the Pacers but he was forced to play more PG. Now with the addition of Brooks he can play his more natural SG position and should be even more effective. C.J. Miles enters his 3rd season with the Pacers where he’ll be expected to come off the bench and provide 3 point shooting as he has in the past. Lavoy Allen and Kevin Seraphin will compete for a final spot in the rotation as the 4th big. Allen had the better year last season but at their peaks Seraphin has been the better player in the past. We’ll see which player new coach Nate McMillian feels best fits what he’s trying to do.

 

Expectations

My expectation for the Pacers are for them to be the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference. They are loaded with talent and they have plenty of guys who play on both ends. The addition of Teague is huge and I think ultimately it will result in George having the best offensive season of his career. The growth of Myles Turner is another reason to be optimistic about the Pacers this season. He’s got the potential to be a dominant player on both ends of the court and solidify himself as the 2nd best big of that loaded big man class from a year ago that included Towns, Okafor and Porzingas. The Pacers bench is what really gives them a huge edge. No team in the NBA has a player as good as Al Jefferson coming off the bench. And now that he’s on a team that doesn’t have to throw it to him on the left block 30 times a game to have a chance to win he’ll be able to play less minutes against inferior 2nd units and feast and hopefully keep himself healthy for the postseason.

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