GDHQNBA15_2pg-Indiana Pacers

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EASTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION Indiana After falling short in the 2013 NBA playoffs, the Indiana Pacers began the 2013-14 season on a mission. Their goal was to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference and secure home-court advantage against their nemesis, the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. Early in the season, Indiana was dominant, blowing opponents out on a routine basis and racing out to the lead in the league standings. Somewhere along the way, the wheels fell off Indiana’s season. Suddenly, the Pacers had tremendous difficulty scoring points and winning games. Locker room turmoil followed amid accusations of selfish play. In the end, the Pacers were somehow able to hold on to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but were eliminated by the Miami Heat anyway. Now, with Paul George having suffered a gruesome injury over the summer and Lance Stephenson departed to Charlotte, Indiana looks more like a lottery team than a real title contender. Defense Last year’s Pacers team was built to play dominating defense, and for the most part, they delivered. Hibbert is a monster of a center, a fantastic rim protector who changes the way opponents try to score points. Hibbert is good at just about anything as a defensive center. He blocks shots at the rim, cuts off driving lanes, rotates to open men and swallows counterparts who try to score on him. Hibbert was joined by arguably the best wing defender in the NBA in George. George is tall, long, athletic, and smart and finished second in the NBA in Defensive Win Shares (6.4), third in individual defensive rating, and he had a defensive Real Plus-Minus of +2.58. With George locking down opposing wings and Hibbert controlling the paint, Indiana ended up being the league’s top defensive team last season. Fast forward to this season, and the outlook is quite different. George suffered a brutal broken leg during the USA Basketball training camp in August and figures to miss the entire season. The ever improving Stephenson went to the Charlotte Hornets in free agency. What was once an Indiana team with a fantastic starting five is left with just Hibbert, David West, and George Hill intact. While George’s absence will certainly have a negative impact on Indiana’s defense, the Pacers should remain somewhat stingy to score on. Hibbert still roams the middle while West is a physical presence who is also extremely difficult to score on. Hill is a plus defender at the point guard position. The only thing Indiana is truly missing is a top wing defender now; it’s unlikely that Solomon Hill, Chris Copeland, or Rodney Stuckey will be able to fill that void. In fact, if there is any cause for concern regarding Indiana’s defense, it comes from their reserves. Stuckey and Copeland are unreliable defenders at best. Luis Scola is particularly known as a defensive liability. Playing Scola alongside Hibbert works because Hibbert can clean up a lot of messes, but Indiana’s overall depth on defense has definitely been compromised. Overall, a second straight year as the NBA’s top defense is probably too much to ask for. However, the Pacers should remain a quality defensive team even without the presence of Paul George or Lance Stephenson. Hibbert, West, Hill, and head coach Frank Vogel will make sure of it. Offense Even with Paul George in the lineup, the Pacers had serious issues on offense. No one player in Indiana’s starting lineup was particularly good at creating shots, even if it seemed that George should have been able to. West is a decent bully in the low post but isn’t a stretch four and doesn’t really create space or open shots for his teammates. Roy Hibbert’s offense (and rebounding) completely disappeared at times. Hill is a well-rounded point guard but not a dominant offensive force either. Roy Hibbert Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images


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