The Indiana Pacers will not carry big expectations as they head into the 2022-23 NBA season. After finishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season, the Pacers have much to prove in the coming campaign. Here we will discuss four bold predictions for the Indiana Pacers in the 2022-23 NBA season.
It's a new Pacers roster entering this new season, but will a new roster lead to greater results?
Over the summer, the Pacers proceeded to restructure their roster. They used their No. 6 pick on the versatile Bennedict Mathurin, their No. 31 pick on guard Andrew Nembhard, and their No. 48 pick to reinforce their wings with Kendall Brown.
The Pacers also traded the experienced but injury-plagued Malcolm Brogdon to Boston in exchange for big man Daniel Theis, a 2023 first-round pick, and a slew of secondary players. Three of those players were later released by Indiana (Stauskas, Morgan, Fitts). The Pacers also let Ricky Rubio and T.J. Warren go as free agents. And Indiana signed Jalen Smith to a new contract.
Perhaps most intriguingly, the Pacers attempted to cap off the summer by signing restricted star free agent center Deandre Ayton, but the Phoenix Suns countered with an offer sheet of their own. As such, the Pacers are left with a core revolving around Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, and Buddy Hield.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Indiana Pacers in the 2022-23 NBA season.
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4. Buddy Hield has a resurgence in Indy
Buddy Hield finds himself in a familiar scenario after joining the Pacers midway through the 2021-22 season. He finished the season averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 3.2 three-pointers per game. He was by all means and purposes a pretty solid performer on the wings.
One thing he has going for him is that he has been quite durable over the last several years, regardless of his role. He has appeared in at least 71 games in five consecutive seasons, making him a true asset in terms of overall value to the Pacers.
Interestingly enough, Hield played much better in his 26 games with the Pacers last season than he did in 55 games with the Kings. He normed 14.4 points per game while in Sacramento but upped it to 18.2 points per game in Indy. If he can be consistent with that type of production this season, we could see a genuine resurgence in Hield's career.
3. Myles Turner gets traded during the season
Former Team USA big man Myles Turner enters the 2022-23 season with a point to prove. That's after being sidelined for much of the previous season due to injury. While he is expected to be the starting center in Indiana, trade speculations have persisted. Turner finished the 2021-22 season as one of the best defenders in the NBA. That's primarily due to his league-leading 2.8 blocks per game. Add in the fact that he shot a career-high 51 percent from the field while connecting on a career-high 1.5 triples, and you have a guy with a lot to offer.
We can count on him to produce similar results this season. Turner, in a way, is such an underrated big man in a league dominated by Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Rudy Gobert. That might actually lead him to be traded at some point this season. The Pacers don't seem to be interested in committing to him long-term. As such, his best value for them is in the context of a midseason transaction.
2. Tyrese Haliburton averages 20.0 points for the first time
Tyrese Haliburton improved as a sophomore last year after an impressive first season that earned him his first First Team All-Rookie honors in 2021. He began the season with the Kings, where he started slowly but improved in December and January, while De'Aaron Fox was out for extended periods of time. In fact, he averaged 16.1 points, 8.9 assists, and 1.6 steals in his last 31 games with Sacramento from December to February. However, at the trade deadline, the promising young guard was abruptly moved to the Pacers for Domantas Sabonis.
We can’t take Tyrese Haliburton for granted man pic.twitter.com/DIwrwQHuMM
— DepressedColtsFan (@szn_holiday) October 8, 2022
Haliburton rapidly became the focal point of Indiana's rebuilding efforts, and his usage increased the rest of the way. Haliburton averaged 17.5 points on 50/42/85 shooting splits, 9.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 36.1 minutes across 26 games with the Pacers.
Looking ahead, Haliburton will be at the core of Indiana's reconstruction in 2022-23 along with 2022 No. 6 overall pick Bennedict Mathurin. We easily see him being a 20-10 double-double threat this season sprinkled with around two steals per game. Will he be an All-Star? Not yet, but he should trend in that direction.
1. Pacers fail to make the Play-in Tournament
How will the Pacers deal with all of these changes? Following a difficult 2021-22 season, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle has the qualifications to supervise a successful rebuild. Of course, he has to confront a difficult challenge in integrating so many new players. The Pacers may not be done making moves, though. They have been linked to a number of trade ideas including Turner and Hield. In any case, Indiana's targets this season are quite modest. That's especially considering how they were a middling team in most stat categories.
It's tough to project what kind of Pacers squad we'll see this season. Maybe the only sure thing is that Haliburton will be pretty awesome. On the flip side, whether Indiana gets busy on the trading block or not, the Pacers will deal with a lot of inexperience and roster upheaval. Naturally, this will result in losses piling up. Consequently, they won't even make the Play-in Tournament in 2023. They have, however, begun to lay a solid foundation in order to secure a more promising future.
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