Off to the Races || Indiana Pacers (2K23)

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Quote: Originally Posted by XxVal_MarXx

it is not enough for the great evening of the wonderful Pacers couple, a pity for defeat. very clean graphics, I don't know how you do and what you use but and very nice to follow

It was disappointing not to get the win with 62 combined points from our dynamic duo, but sometimes it happens like that.

I use Adobe Photoshop for all of my graphics - I really just try to recreate what actual media outlets do in terms of style. I appreciate your following!

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The Indiana Pacers went 1-2 on their three-game trip to California, the beginning of a seven-game excursion that includes matchups with Utah, Golden State, and Minnesota.

A defensive masterclass against the struggling Lakers was a highlight, with Tyrese Haliburton pilfering Russell Westbrook five times on his way to an eight-steal outing. However, blowout losses to the Clippers (excusable) and Kings (less so) personified a team that's struggled to do anything, either good or bad, consistently. 21 games in, who are this year's Pacers?

The Good
Tyrese Haliburton is a star

As of publication, Tyrese Haliburton is:

• Third in the league in assists
• Fourth in the league in steals
• Eighth in the league in double-doubles

Haliburton leads the Pacers in minutes by a significant margin and has proven he is capable of leading an effective NBA offense - the Pacers sit 10th in the league in offensive rating (we'll get to defense later...), and Haliburton is to thank. Despite taking a far-larger role as a scorer than he ever has, Haliburton has still been an extremely effective facilitator. While turnovers have risen and he hasn't shot nearly as efficiently as he has in past seasons, one can hope for some positive regression to the mean. If that occurs, Haliburton will have a very serious case for All-Star recognition this season.

Bennedict Mathurin has got that dawg in him
We all knew Mathurin had some special sauce coming out of Arizona. His clutch shot against TCU, his ability to generate his own offense, his demeanor on the court. What we didn't know was that all of this would translate immediately to the NBA level. Mathurin is a walking bucket. He leads all rookies in scoring and is a leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. If he won that award, he would be the second rookie to do so (Ben Gordon, 2005). For a rookie to come in and immediately display the tools to be an offensive focal point is very promising, and the Pacers could not be happier with Mathurin to date.

Buddy Hield can really stroke it
Phrasing. But in all seriousness, Buddy Hield has been red hot to start this season. He leads the league in 3PT% (.524) and sits behind only Mitchell Robinson in true shooting (.718). He's even shown flashes of playmaking and has been surprisingly stingy on defense, meaning he's one of the few Pacers with a positive +/- (a whopping +2). He's playing the best basketball he's played in years, and the Pacers will have plenty of suitors if they choose to move him.


The Bad
The defense is stinky
The Pacers have the second-worst defense in the league. The only team with a worse defensive rating are the Rockets, who are losing on purpose. This Pacers team is not losing on purpose, and they aren't trying to give opponents wide open shots. That is, however, what's happening. The Pacers have struggled on the boards, and opponents are shooting a whopping 47.8% from the field. The Pacers have had some bad luck with opponent three-point shooting, sure, but that variance does not explain away lackluster play across the board.

Myles Turner is struggling
Myles Turner is doing his best to counter all the good Buddy Hield is doing for their proverbial trade pairing. Turner is scoring less, on lower efficiency, and is looking lost on offense at times. Defensively, Turner's blocks are down and he is still a less than effective rebounder. He is far from a negative player, but he is also far from the well-rounded big man he is capable of being.

Okay guys, who broke Chris Duarte?
Last year, Chris Duarte showed why he was considered a high-ceiling, win-now prospect in the 2021 NBA Draft. This year, none of those traits - shooting ability, shot creation, perimeter defense - have flashed for more than perhaps a quarter. The rise of Bennedict Mathurin has taken some touches from Duarte, which could harm his ability to get in rhythm, but Duarte has done far more harm than good with the touches he get. 33.8% shooting from the field is absolutely putrid, and Duarte is in danger of losing his role as the second wing off the bench. Speaking of wings...


The Unknown
Who should be starting at the 3?
For better or worse, Rick Carlisle seems committed to keeping Bennedict Mathurin out of the starting lineup. This leaves a small forward sized hole, one that has been plugged by illustrious players such as Terry Taylor, Andrew Nembhard, Oshae Brissett, Aaron Nesmith, and the aforementioned Chris Duarte. All of these players have a role to play in an NBA rotation. None of them, however, are averaging more than 18 minutes (nor should they), and none have started more than 7 games. Terry Taylor has been the clubhouse leader in starts and minutes so far, but expect lineup experimentation to continue as Rick Carlisle and Pacers brass try to figure out who is worth keeping around.

Young bigs are hard to evaluate
And boy, the Pacers have some fun ones. Goga Bitadze is a crafty back-to-the-basket finisher. Jalen Smith is trying out the 4, and doing quite well as a rebounding presence next to Myles Turner. Isaiah Jackson has serious athleticism and is averaging a very nice 3.2 blocks-per-36 on his career. As of late, Bitadze has slipped out of the rotation in favor of Jackson, and Goga is on the final year of his rookie contract - be on the watch for a potential move if he continues to ride the bench.

Conclusion
21 games in, the Pacers sit at 14th in the East. However, they're only 2.5 games out of a play-in spot, and I would not count them out just yet. The Pacers are not trying to brick for Vic, boot for Scoot, so on and so forth. They have two budding stars, talented veterans, and a savvy veteran coach committed to winning. If we get to late January and they're still 14th, they might start to move towards tanking. But they aren't there yet, and they shouldn't be. This is a fun team that can score as well as any team in the league when they're on. If their slumping players figure it out, they'll have some serious juice in the remaining 75% of the season.

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In an absolute barnburner, the Pacers fell to the Warriors in San Francisco, 127-138. I'm not sure either team expected such a shootout, especially with the injury reports looking the way they did coming in:

With the Warriors missing their offensive and defensive centerpieces, and the Pacers missing their best shooter and a rotation wing, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding this matchup.

Early, it looked like the Pacers would run away with it as they targeted the Warriors in the paint, opening the game on a 22-7 run behind Myles Turner, who scored 14 points in the first quarter. The Pacers did dominate the game inside, scoring 56 points in the paint and 20 at the line.

Where the Pacers lost the game was on the perimeter. The Warriors shooters ran circles around the Pacers wing defenders, getting open look after open look beyond the arc - they shot 24/43 (56%) from 3-point range. Golden State charged back to take a 61-58 lead going into half, and they never looked back.

Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole led the way for Golden State, scoring 34 and 23 points, respectively. Thompson had an especially hot night, shooting 12-23 including 7-9 from three. Donte DiVincenzo and new signing Rajon Rondo led a Warriors bench unit that outsmarted the Pacers at both ends, with both players registering a plus/minus of +12 on the game.

While the Pacers' defense struggled as they have all season, they were absolutely humming on offense. Myles Turner played one of the best games of his career, posting 33 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks on 69% shooting. Tyrese Haliburton added 25 points and 11 assists, with an impressive 0 turnovers.

The story of this game is best illustrated by Pacers plus/minus stats. The top players: Jalen Smith, +6; Aaron Nesmith, +4; Turner & Haliburton, -1. The worst: Terry Taylor, -9; T.J. McConnell, -10; Bennedict Mathurin & Andrew Nembhard, -14. When the Pacers best defenders and point guard were in the game, it was a tight contest; without them, the Warriors ran roughshod over the bench.

Myles Turner's play re-ignited long-standing trade rumors as he plays on the final season of his contract. One potential suitor? The very team he detonated on tonight. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Pacers are open to a Turner trade, and Golden State, both Los Angeles clubs, and the newly Horford-less Celtics have been in contact with the Pacers front office. A few more games like this, and the Pacers may find it hard to let him go.

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