The Indiana Pacers weren't expected to accomplish much this season, and after a hot start, they have come crashing back down to earth lately. Their 26-34 record sees them sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference currently, and they crawled into the All-Star break on an extreme cold streak.
Things could certainly be going better for the Pacers, but truth be told, the stakes are very low for them as they gear up to return from the break. Indiana wasn't expected to be in contention for anything this season, so the fact that they are in even close to a spot in the Play-In Tournament is a win in its own right.
The Pacers are obviously going to go out and give it their all when it comes to trying to find a way into the postseason, so we shouldn't simply expect them to roll over and die because of their recent cold stretch. So with Indiana set to return to the court on Thursday night, let's take a look at three bold predictions for the Pacers after the All-Star break and see what they could accomplish over the next few weeks.
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3. Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton will finish the season averaging a double-double in points and assists
It hasn't been overly surprising to see that the Pacers cold stretch coincided with Tyrese Haliburton missing time due to a pair of injuries. In the 12 games that Haliburton has missed this season, Indiana has gone just 2-10. They weren't much better once he returned right before the All-Star break, going just 2-6, but the Pacers really don't have any shot of winning unless Haliburton is on the floor.
Haliburton has been given the keys of the Pacers offense this season, and he ended up converting that into the first All-Star appearance of his career. His numbers are strong across the board (19.9 PPG, 10.1 APG, 3.8 RPG, 48.1 FG%) and for most of the season, Haliburton has been leading the league in assists per game.
There are only three other players in the league aside from Haliburton averaging over 10 assists per game right now, so it's no sure thing that he will be able to maintain his lofty double-double average throughout the remainder of the season. But after being sidelined with injuries, Haliburton is back, and if he can stay healthy, he will finish the season with his double-double average in points and assists intact.
2. Pacers SF Buddy Hield will set a career-high in three-point percentage
Buddy Hield has always been a strong scorer, but he's taken a big step forward in an increased role with the Pacers. Hield is one of the most consistent wing players in the league right now, and he's provided a strong burst of secondary scoring for Indiana throughout the season. Indiana has played 60 games so far, and Hield has suited up for every one of them.
Hield's biggest strength is his three-point shooting, which was on full display during the All-Star break when he very nearly won the Three-Point Contest. Hield is shooting 42.6 percent from behind the arc this season, which is good for the eight best figure in the league. Hield won't finish as the NBA's leader in this category, but there's a chance he could sneak into the top five.
More likely would be Hield breaking his own career-best three-point percentage, which comes in at 43.1 percent. Making a 0.5 percent jump doesn't seem like much, but when you consider that Hield is taking nearly four more threes per game than he was back in the 2017-18 season (which was when he set his career-high) this is a decent challenge. But with the way Hield has been playing, it seems like something he could accomplish.
1. The Pacers will finish as the ten seed and sneak into the Play-In Tournament
We've already taken a look at the Pacers' outlook in the standings, and if they want to make it into the Play-In Tournament, they have some work to do over the next few weeks. Indiana has completely fallen apart as of late, winning just three of their previous 19 contests, but coming out of the All-Star break, they are about as healthy as they have been all season.
Getting Haliburton back has been huge, and it's not completely outrageous to suggest that they are better than the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors right now, the two teams that are in front of them in the East right now. The Bulls are in the middle of a six-game losing streak themselves, while the Raptors have been failing to meet expectations all season long.
Indiana is 2.5 games behind the Raptors right now, and while Toronto is playing some better basketball as of late, that's not exactly a gap that cannot be closed over the remainder of the season. The Pacers were significantly better than both these teams earlier in the season, and now that they are healthy again, it says here that they will catch both these teams and sneak their way into the Play-In Tournament.
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