THE Indiana Pacers The Indianapolis Redskins are coming off one of their most memorable seasons in recent memory. Entering the playoffs as the sixth seed, the team managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a decade. They also ended a postseason drought that began in 2021, much to the delight of Indianapolis sports fans. As the upcoming season approaches, there is surely nothing more that fans would like than to end the wait and see their favorite team back on the field.
The good news is that the new schedule is out, which means fans can mark their calendars and make predictions, like when the wins might eventually pile up. But is it as simple as equating strong opponents with losses and weaker opponents with wins? After all, Indiana is a much different team now. Gone are the days when the Pacers were just an average team. With series wins over heavyweights like the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks last year, the Pacers are entering a new campaign as one of the most unpredictable teams in the East.
Sure, skeptics will continue to cite the injuries to the Bucks and Knicks during the playoffs, but injuries are part of the game. And how can you just ignore a Pacers team that led the league in scoring (123.3 points per game), shooting percentage (50.7 percent) and assists (30.8 assists per game) last season? It would be foolhardy to write them off from now on.
Given the current situation, here are some bold predictions for the team for the upcoming season.
A two-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist: those are just a few phrases to describe Tyrese Haliburton, who is coming off his best season yet. Last year, Haliburton led the team with a double-double of 20.1 points and 10.9 assists per game, while shooting 36.4 percent from three-point range. In fact, before the All-Star break, Haliburton was dishing out 11.7 assists per game. His ability to both score and facilitate produced winning results for the Pacers, earning him a spot in the All-Star Game
In addition to a strong playoff performance, Haliburton’s participation in the American team at the Olympic Games This only adds to his growth. He may not have played as much as Pacers fans would have liked, but being around the best players in the NBA, plus being exposed on the international stage, has certainly been a boost to the point guard’s development.
Haliburton will enter the upcoming season with the same group of teammates, meaning there will be no obstacles to his progression. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him increase his scoring to around 23 or 24 points per game while keeping his assists to around 11 per game.
Andrew Nembhard increases his points average to 13 PPG
Remember the Pacers’ Game 3 against the Knicks a few months ago? If so, it won’t be hard to recall how Andrew Nembhard pulled off the biggest coup of his career. Tied at 106-106, Nembhard’s step-back gave Indiana its first win of the series. He became a star in the playoffs, averaging nearly 15 points per game on 56 percent shooting, after averaging just 9.2 points per game in the regular season. He was also part of the Canadian Olympic team in Paris, where he played as a key rotation player.
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With Bennedict Matthurin recovering from his injuryNembhard won’t have any competition for that starting spot this offseason. One could argue that Matthurin has a higher offensive ceiling. However, what makes Nembhard Haliburton’s ideal defensive partner is his two-way game. Nembhard’s defense on opposing guards has been a difference-maker for the Pacers time and time again. He’s also shown that he can create with the ball in his hands. It’s unclear whether he’ll be able to consistently show his playoff form after 82 games next season, but Nembhard’s scoring will likely increase, perhaps to around 13 points per game next season.
Final thoughts: Developing key young players is essential
The roster remains the same, but the Pacers could very well be in contention for a better spot this time around. While there are some major chinks in their armor that still need to be ironed out — like rebounding (41.5 rebounds per game, 28th in the league) and overall team defense (120.2 points per game against opponents, 27th) — Haliburton and Nembhard are expected to continue to develop, along with players like Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin and Ben Sheppard. There’s also Pascal Siakam, who will be playing his first full season with the team after signing a four-year max deal. In other words, it all comes down to how much the young players make progress this offseason and throughout the 82-game stretch.
Fans will be able to see the Pacers in action once again when they take on the Detroit Pistons on October 23 at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
