Indiana Pacers

Have Indiana Pacers Turned Corner?

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:16 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Simon Smith/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

It has taken some time, but the Indiana Pacers appear to be finally finding their stride. But the question is, can they maintain this current form?

It was an offseason of change this past summer for the Indiana Pacers. Replacing head coach Frank Vogel with his lead assistant in Nate McMillan was the first sign that team president Larry Bird was looking for a change of direction.

Among a number of topics covered when McMillan was introduced as the Pacers’ coach was the playing style that will be implemented as a result of the coaching change.

At his initial press conference, McMillan said:

The common theme emerging with McMillan’s hiring was the Pacers would look to follow the league-wide trend of up-tempo play. This line of thinking led to their next major move of the summer, acquiring forward Thaddeus Young in a draft-day deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Young is seen as being a modern-day power forward, with the ability to be able to play at a fast pace and stretch the floor. Bird was quite happy with the acquisition of Young:

Floor General

With a new style of play also came a new floor general. Just a few weeks later, the Pacers acquired point guard Jeff Teague via trade. Sure, the Pacers had to give up their starting point guard in George Hill in the deal.

But in keeping with a more attacking approach, the Pacers rolled the diced. Bird noted at the time of the trade:

The Pacers also added  a veteran low-post presence to their roster in Al Jefferson. So with a fresh new roster coupled with a new coach, the Pacers were hoping to improve on their first-round playoff exit of last season.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Shaky Start

It’s one thing to promise a new playing style and an overall different brand of basketball. But it’s another to actually implement such a change once the regular season starts. And that’s certainly what the Pacers learned in the early stages of this season.

No matter how talented a team’s roster, an adjustment period is likely to occur.

The Pacers last season ranked 17th in the league in points per game with 102.2. Further, they ranked 23rd in the league in offensive rating with 102.4 points scored per 100 possessions.

Naturally with numbers such as these, adjustments needed to be made in order to keep pace with the league-wide trend of “pace and space.”

So despite the forecasts of the front office and the new head coach, this transition process has not been easy. Through the first 33 games of this season, the Pacers were 15-18 and were10th in the Eastern Conference.

Coming off a 45-win season, this was not the direction the franchise had intended.

Areas For Concern

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Here are some of the notable numbers that the Pacers produced during their shaky 33 games to commence this season:

Points Per Game: 103.9 (Ranked 18th)
Field Goal Percentage: 45.0 percent (14th)
Offensive Rating: 102.5 (20th)
Assists Per Game: 22.0 (15th)

In the modern NBA, a team is never going to advance with numbers such as these. When delving further, a few areas of their shooting prowess stands out:

Shots Taken Between 10-14 Feet: 38.3 percent (21st)
Shots Taken Between 15-19 Feet: 34.8 percent (21st)

These areas are clearly extremely poor, but will be more noteworthy when their recent hot spell is outlined.

In terms of the defensive end of the floor, this was also cause for concern earlier this season. With such an emphasis on improving their offence, the Pacers’ defense was unrecognizable to what we had come to expect over the past several years.

Poor Defense

By was of comparison, the Pacers last gave up 120 points or more in a game seven times over the course of 82 games. This season, this had already occurred six times in the first 21 games. Among these were giving up 131 points on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers.

And then two games later, the Pacers gave up a staggering 141 points against the Golden State Warriors, which included Klay Thompson nailing 60 points before the end of the third quarter.

So clearly, work had to be done moving forward.

But recently, there have been signs of life.

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Finding Their Groove

It may have taken nearly half the season., but the Pacers appear as though they may have turned a new leaf in their development. The have now won five straight games, easily eclipsing their previous best this season of two consecutive wins.

Granted, none of the five teams they faced in this recent streak are even close to becoming a contending team this season.

Having said that, there are definitely some signs for optimism. The Pacers’ offensive returns during this winning streak have been exceptional. Among the noteworthy team stats are the following:

Points Per Game: 118.6 (Ranked 2nd)
Field Goal Percentage: 51.4 (2nd)
Offensive Rating: 119.6 (1st)
Assists Per Game: 25.6 (7th)

Enormous Turnaround

These numbers are quite astounding. Scoring has improved by a whopping 14.7 points per game, taking them from mediocre to the elite level.

Just as impressive is their offensive rating, where they soared from  20th in league for points per 100 possessions all the way to first over this five-game stretch. As was touched upon the previous page, their shooting percentages have also gone through the roof:

Shots Taken Between 10-14 Feet: 51.4 percent (6th)
Shots Taken Between 15-19 Feet: 51.8 percent (2nd)

These areas of the floor are particularly important when you consider that the Pacers’ three-point shooting has barely differed during this hot streak. They were averaging 8.2 three-pointers made per game during the initial 33 games, and 9.2 made during the current winning streak.

Furthermore, Paul George, Myles Turner and Jeff Teague are all very proficient in this midrange area of the court, and are their three leading scorers for the season .

Check out the highlights here of their most recent win against the New York Knicks. This game featured a season high 123 points for the Pacers on Jan. 7.

Next: Players On The Rise

Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Stepping Up

Naturally with such an upswing in team production, individual performances are also going to shine through. Paul George is regarded as the face of the franchise, having been a multiple all-star and Olympic gold medalist.

And as has been the case with most of the team, his efficiency as of late has been superb.

Paul George, First 33 Games: 21.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 44.3 FG%, 38.1 3P%
Paul George, Last 5 Games: 25.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 50.0 FG%, 42.3 3P%

Among his most efficient performances of the season was in the midst of the teams current win streak. The highlights of his 32-point, six-rebound game against the Detroit Pistons can be seen here:

Second-Year Star

But it hasn’t just been his contributions that have led to the significant upswing in the Pacers’ performances. Second year center Myles Turner has been impressive throughout most of the season. But during this recent stretch, he has raised his game another level.

Myles Turner, First 33 Games: 15.3 PPG, 2.4 BPG, 53.5 FG%, 37,3 3P%, 79.8 FT%
Myles Turner, Last 5 Games: 18.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 54.0 FG%, 83.3 3P%, 87.0 FT%

One of Turner’s most impressive games thus far was his 25-point, 15-rebound performance last week against the Brooklyn Nets. See the best of this performance here:

Nearly the most important piece of this surge has been the Pacers’ new point guard, Jeff Teague. A lightning quick guard and one-time all-star, Teague’s acclimation to his new surroundings is now bearing the fruits with these recent offensive performances.

Jeff Teague, First 33 Games: 15.7 PPG, 7.3 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 42.9 FG%, 30.0 3P%, 84.0 FT%
Jeff Teague, Last 5 Games: 15.2 PPG, 11.4 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 50.0 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 91.3 FT%

Teague has been consistent throughout his first season in Indiana, but recently he has been a standout running the show at the point . Most impressively is that Teague ranked fourth in the league in assists during this winning streak.

Check out a clip from his recent 21-point, 15-assist game against the Brooklyn Nets:

Addition By Subtraction

It may sound harsh, but taking shooting guard Monta Ellis out of the starting lineup has done wonders for the Pacers. It’s hardly a coincidence since Ellis’ minutes have gone down, the Pacers’ efficiency and production has ascended.

Monta Ellis, First 33 Games: 9.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 44.5 FG%, 29.6 3P%, 85.2 FT%, 28.7 MPG
Monta Ellis, Last 5 Games: 6.6 PPG, 2.2 APG, 63.2 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 88.9 FT%, 18.2 MPG

As can be seen, even Ellis’ efficiency has risen significantly when reduced to a reserve bench role. So not only has the Pacers’ efficiency improved, they have also found themselves an extra weapon to bring off the bench.

One reserve player though that has seen their playing time increase recently has been center Kevin Seraphin. Through the early stretch of the season, Seraphin was third in line behind Turner and veteran Al Jefferson.

But he has rewarded the Pacers’ recent show of faith in him. The following demonstrates the difference in production:

Kevin Seraphin, First 33 Games: 4.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 53.1 FG%, 10.6 MPG
Kevin Seraphin, Last 5 Games: 7.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 68.0 FG%, 16.1 MPG

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Can They Keep This Going?

This is the million-dollar question. Can the Pacers maintain the momentum which they have built during the last five games? Improving their numbers across the board so substantially definitely raises some eyebrows.

Therefore, a few factors need to be taken into account as to the sustainability of their form.

The five teams they have defeated (and their season record) during this streak are the following:

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As can be seen, the Pacers haven’t exactly beaten any contenders recently. This schedule contrasts to the one they are facing in the coming five games:

Again there are no contenders to face, but four of these games are on the road in the Western Conference, including a back-to-back in Los Angeles and Utah. And things will only get tougher as teams start to adjust to the Pacers’ style of play

But most of all, their current form on the offensive end just seems just too difficult to maintain. In their last three games alone, the Pacers have posted 121.7 points per game. This is good for FIRST in the league.

Essentially, a larger sample size should be necessary before jumping to conclusions on the Pacers’ current form. But give credit where credit is due. This five-game win streak came straight after a four-game losing streak. So the team is clearly very resilient and committed to the cause.

Hence it will be very interesting to monitor the Pacers’ success moving forward.

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