Overview of their 2021-2022 season
Last season wasn’t so good for the Pacers. The team entered the season with hopes of entering the playoffs but bad luck and a series of injuries prevented them from even getting close to it.
Even before the year began, guard Edmond Summer tore his ACL and wing player T.J. Warren had trouble recovering from his foot injury. That being said, the Pacers already had two bodies down even before they started playing. This continued to be a theme for the whole season as only one player on their roster played in more than 60 games.
Injuries were not the only reason for Indiana’s struggles. Even when their starting lineup—consisting of Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Justin Holiday, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner—was playing, they still weren’t getting wins. This starting five went 5-8 in the 13 matches they were complete. The pieces didn’t really fit together for the Pacers which is why it’s no wonder that the team finished near the bottom of the entire league with a 25-57 record.
What’s new this season?
With the string of bad luck from the previous season, it’s a huge relief that this season is all about rebuilding. The Pacers right now aren’t a championship-caliber team but they are in a pretty good spot.
Tyrese Haliburton is a potential star for the Pacers, and Chris Duarte is a great complement in the backcourt. They will be joined by Bennedict Mathurin, who is a strong two-way player, and Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, who all have decent trade value.
Other than that, the Pacers’ front office will be very busy this season as they will try to call other teams for possible trades that can increase their winning chances.
THE guy
The Pacers are going to rebuild their roster around budding superstar Haliburton. In the 26 games he played after arriving from the Sacramento Kings, he averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists.
Haliburton is the primary initiator and highly efficient in pick-and-roll plays. He has the court vision that not all guards have and has this pass-first mentality that allows his teammates to find their scoring rhythm. He also shoots a high clip on his 3s with a 41.4 shooting percentage.
We anticipate that Haliburton will remain a key member of the Indiana team for many years to come, and it’s a sight to see how he and his other young teammates will continue to adjust to the system.
This year is also about figuring out which of the young players in the team are going to be part of the franchise’s future. We expect that the Indiana coaching staff will be experimenting with the combinations on the floor and at the same time give more minutes to their offensive frontrunner Haliburton.
The Indiana team won’t be getting a lot of wins this season but they are in a much better position than last year. They could trade Turner or Hield soon and it is exciting how the overall roster is going to turn out.
