PACERS

Insider: 5 observations about the new-look Pacers

Candace Buckner
candace.buckner@indystar.com

In less than a month, the Indiana Pacers have undergone a massive renovation. Through free agency, a trade and the signing of draft picks, the Pacers have officially become faster, shorter, younger and (hopefully) more offensively minded.

There are seven new players; a makeover so sweeping the team had to spread three media availabilities for all the signings over consecutive weeks. Three are draft picks, the most rookies on roster since the 2001-02 season when a 42-40 Pacers featured four first-year players.

Now that the Pacers have 15 players under contract, the most the NBA allows during the season, the roster appears complete (though another deal is always possible). Here are five observations about the new-look Pacers:

Many moves, but will Pacers move up in standings?

When speaking about the upcoming season, Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird recently told reporters: “I’ll be very disappointed if we don’t make the playoffs.” So for Bird to get his wish, the Pacers have to finish in the top 8 while integrating nearly half the roster into the team’s culture, developing the three youngest players and finding chemistry in a brand new style of play. Hopefully, Frank Vogel and his coaching staff are enjoying vacations now because they’ll have a tough job ahead of them beginning in October.

However, this is still the Eastern Conference, so it’s reasonable to demand a playoff berth.

The Pacers battled injuries through much of last season and missed the playoffs by one game. So one would think with a healthy Paul George and new roster built to score more points, the Pacers are indeed a playoff team. However, the top two seeds are controlled by Cleveland and Chicago. And on paper, the Pacers may still trail the young but seasoned Washington Wizards as well as Atlanta, Toronto and Miami. So, a reasonable ceiling for the 2015-16 Pacers is the seventh seed. Enough to keep the boss happy, but barely.

Pacers went all-in for Monta Ellis, but Jordan Hill is sleeper signing

Jordan Hill is a country boy who loves fishing. He’ll find plenty of waters to cast his reel in Indiana but no longer has to worry about snakes — and by this we mean, the Black Mamba Kobe Bryant. Recently, Hill told reporters that in Lakerland, “When he’s on the floor, all you hear is Kobe’s mouth.” Don’t interpret this as a bad thing, especially when considering that Hill clearly wasn’t phased by Bryant’s style of leadership because he improved through three full seasons as a Los Angeles Laker.

It could be argued that the 6-10 Hill played his best basketball last season. Mostly operating as an undersized center, he averaged 7.9 rebounds and ranked in the top 20 in the NBA in defensive rebound percentage. While previously just an offensive player reliant around plays at the rim, Hill has expanded his game to the mid-range and, over the past three years, increased his attempts and percentage from 10 to 16 feet.

All this, and the Pacers have him for the bargain contract reported to be $4 million.

Hill, who just turned 28, is a younger and more athletic big than the three who are no longer on the roster (David West, Luis Scola and Roy Hibbert) and should be considered a budget signing compared to what the previous three would have cost the Pacers this upcoming season.

Pacers’ greatest strength? A healthy George

The reason why the Pacers should finish higher than 2015 playoff teams Milwaukee and Boston will be the same reason why they couldn’t surpass those foes in the standings last season. Indiana’s best player returns, and though the team brought in a bevy of new players, nothing matters more than the two healthy legs underneath Paul George.

Paul George takes a shot during a Pacers contest with the Miami Heat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on  April 5, 2015.

The final six games of last season encouraged the Pacers and their fans for what’s to come. George showed little explosion, sure, but if the recent videos of him dunking during an overseas promotional trip are any indication, the bounce is back. Also last season, George played under restricted minutes but in those flashes on the court, he made the most of the limitations.

Though George hesitantly drove the ball inside — only attempting 10 shots at the rim — he made up for it with a steady jumper (9-of-22 for 40.9 percent from the 3-point arc). Also on April 14, when the Pacers absolutely needed a win over the Wizards, George exceeded his 15-minute limit to play more than eight minutes in the fourth quarter and appear in the first overtime.

Come October, George will play 20-plus minutes of NBA action for the first time in more than 17 months. Surely there will be cobwebs to shake off but George remains a star and teams with such players tend to go further. Neither the Bucks nor the Celtics have a player at George’s level, so the Pacers have the edge.

Pacers’ most glaring hole? Still TBD locker-room voice

So, we know who reigns as the best player on the roster. But who exactly will be the leader of the locker room?

Two seasons ago, the Pacers featured four players 30 or older. All that experience and wisdom sprinkled throughout the locker room helped as the team jumped to its best start in franchise history. … However, it’s only fair to mention that same veteran squad nearly went off the rails near the end of the year.

Still, a locker room needs grown men. The Pacers will start this season with one 30-year-old, Monta Ellis. However, he has never been known as a locker room leader. Also, there are a few more seasoned players (George Hill and Rodney Stuckey, both 29, as well as C.J. Miles and Ian Mahinmi, both 28) but uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, so we must circle back to the most talented player. Since the 25-year-old George has the max contract and the responsibility of being the most popular Pacer, he should be first in line to assume the head leadership role.

Another concern: so many bigs and wings on the roster, but few real point guards

The lead guard controls the NBA. Three point guards finished in the top six of MVP voting, with Golden State’s Steph Curry winning the honor. Five of the final eight playoff teams featured elite point guards, and that’s being conservative, not counting the underrated Mike Conley for Memphis. So, logic would say as Indiana looks to mirror a long-ago trend of small ball, the NBA is a point guard-focused league. However, the Pacers have 15 players on roster but only one real point guard: starter George Hill.

This is by design. The Pacers envision pushing the tempo, getting into the offense quickly. Not so much relying on play calling, just flowing together and getting good looks. They have enough athletic wings who can handle the ball and get cooking early in the shot clock (George, Stuckey, George Hill, Miles) and bigs who can actually run the floor and keep up (Jordan Hill, Mahinmi and Lavoy Allen). In this freedom of play, Indiana will not emphasize the traditional role of a lead guard. Still, even in position-less basketball, the point guard still matters. Every now and then, there will be possessions when the game slows down and a team must score in the halfcourt. Who’s going to initiate the Pacers in those sets?

While the 6-2 Joe Young, a rookie, will be listed as a point guard, he’s really more of a combo scoring guard. Stuckey and Ellis are both smaller guards but, again, are more inclined to get the ball and score. The lack of true point guards on the roster puts the onus on the wings to at times fulfill that role.

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.