Now that we’re in the middle of the NBA offseason, it’s the perfect time to take a comprehensive look at every player and team in the league. Plus, it’s the perfect time to start looking ahead and predicting what’s going to happen next season. Apparently, ESPN feels the same way, as it’s launching its expert polls to predict the best teams, award winners, and more in the 2024-25 NBA season.
For much of the offseason, the Indiana Pacers continued to be neglected. Specifically, when it comes to which teams have a real chance of representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals next year, the Pacers rarely come up in those discussions. This is despite their appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals just a few months ago.
Furthermore, it’s even more frustrating for Pacers fans to hear pundits, analysts or other fans try to downplay their run last season, saying that they only progressed as far as they did because of injuries suffered by the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks.
At this point, the Pacers are considered the outsiders Again, ESPN’s latest prediction shouldn’t shock fans at all.
According to their recent surveyESPN predicts the Pacers will finish seventh in the Eastern Conference next season, down slightly from their sixth-place finish last season.
ESPN isn’t the first major publication to believe the Pacers will take a step back next season. However, going so far as to call them a play-in team for next season seems a bit of a stretch.
In a separate tier called “The Contenders,” ESPN ranks the Boston Celtics, Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Bucks and Orlando Magic ahead of Indiana.
It’s fair to put the Celtics, Knicks, and 76ers ahead of the Pacers. However, the Pacers have a good chance of finishing ahead of the next three teams. None of them have a better offensive game than the Pacers, and outside of Milwaukee, they have the most upside. At a minimum, all of these teams deserve to be in the same tier.
The Pacers are once again being overlooked by the pundits. Yet, all things considered, it has worked out pretty well for them in the past.
