The 2014-15 regular season is just a few days away and still, there are more questions than answers surrounding the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers, the Central Division champions of the past two seasons, look a lot different going into this new season, a season that is very much going to be an ongoing process. Previously, the starters logged more minutes than any other combination in the league. They were reliable and predictable as they come.
The Pacers need a larger contribution this season from George Hill, who’s currently dealing with a bruised left knee.
With the departure of Lance Stephenson, Paul George sidelined and a whole host of others dealing with injuries, the Pacers have very different circumstances from a year ago — even much different than anticipated over the summer.
“Circumstances don’t define us or determine who we are; they only reveal who we are,” Colts head coach Chuck Pagano wrote in his book Sidelined.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel experimented with a number of lineups in the preseason, and that’ll likely continue for at least the first couple of weeks into the regular season.
The starters, pending injuries, would feature the remaining “core 3,” George Hill, David West, and Roy Hibbert, plus newcomers Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles. One could easily make a case to bring either of the additions off the bench, dependent on if they need a better wing defender with the starters or more of a scoring threat off the bench.
Unlike the last few years, this is a year where the team may not have a real lineup, and Vogel could have double-digit starting lineup combinations; especially when factoring in injuries, which the team has already dealt with more than their share.
Nearly a month from returning to town and opening camp, Vogel says they still have a lot of work ahead of them.
“I’d just like to see us grow our on-the-court togetherness,” he said, “and I still think we got a long way to go.”
The Pacers finished with a 3-4 record in the preseason, nothing to make much about or make bold statements from. Third-string point guard Donald Sloan led the team in scoring, with a 13.3 points per game average.
Ahead of the regular-season opener on Wednesday, which is at home against the measly Philadelphia 76ers, Vogel still has plenty of items he’d like to shore up.
“I don’t think we are real tied together on the defensive end,” said Vogel. “I still think we’re learning each other, I think newcomers are learning our system, some guys are learning new positions, and I think we have a long way to go in terms of tying ourselves together on the defensive end and getting used to each other on the offensive end.
“I think we’re very sloppy with the basketball – (they averaged 16.4 turnovers per game) – and we just got to learn each other’s tendencies, be sharp with the pass and catch, and become a better executing team.”
In other words, these guys still need time to feel each other out, gain the togetherness coach preaches about so frequently, and build trust in one another.
Frank Vogel and Roy Hibbert have a chat after practice.
Solomon Hill, coming off his rookie campaign, is one player who’s expected to have a much larger impact this year. The Pacers are thinnest at the wing spot and will primarily need Hill for his defensive abilities. The NBA game, however, is still very new to him as he logged just 226 minutes last season.
“He’s almost like a rookie from the standpoint of how much he didn’t play last year,” Vogel echoed, and added that Solomon is still trying to find his niche offensively — whether it’s to be a cutter, shooter, rebounder, etc.
These circumstances the Pacers are facing are difficult, and very real. Ahead of the new season, many pundits have the Pacers in their bottom tier and are predicting for them to be a lottery team.
Taking a positive outlook to the season, we should quickly discover many to the questions we all are seeking, like where is Roy Hibbert’s mind at, is George Hill more efficient at shooting guard, where is Chris Copeland’s place in this league, and is Solomon Hill ready for a much larger workload.
Remember, it’s “The Year of Discovery.”
“I think all year is probably going to be sort of a work in progress, something that we’ll just have to work through,” Vogel said. “… We’re going to have balance and depth. That’s going to be how we’re going to get the job done this year.”
Watch Vogel’s recent comments on the number of injuries they are monitoring, Sloan’s pre-season play, the rotation come opening night, and much more.