The only time the Indiana Pacers made the headlines in the offseason was when they named Rick Carlisle as their new coach. It's an unfortunate reality, given that the franchise is loaded with talented players in Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren, and Myles Turner.

Their solid starting five has been pretty much overshadowed by literally every roster move made by more popular teams like the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets. But the truth is, the Pacers have the potential to make waves this 2021-22 NBA season.

Birth of an All-Star trio in Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis, and Malcolm Brogdon

The new NBA season will mark LeVert's first full year donning the Pacers jersey. In 35 games last season, he averaged 20.7 points (career-high), 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. LeVert is the type of player who's on the verge of breaking out. Fans saw this when he was with the Nets before the arrival of Kevin Durant and James Harden. The only thing that has stopped LeVert from showing off his full potential is the injury bug. Though he's expected to miss the first few games of the season, there's a great feeling of optimism that this year will be LeVert's year.

His rise will perfectly align with Sabonis and Brogdon (more in him later). Sabonis seems to have found the formula to be successful in the NBA. He's been selected into the All-Star Game twice in a row. His scoring, rebounding, and playmaking abilities have impressed Pacers diehards and analysts as well. We can safely assume that Sabonis will continue his reign this season.

Malcolm Brogdon will win Most Improved Player

For some reason, Brogdon doesn't get a lot of press coverage. Not many fans even know that the 36th overall pick was crowned 2017 Rookie of the Year, beating out the likes of Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, and Jamal Murray. Is it because of Brogdon's playing style which heavily relies on craft instead of athleticism? Whatever the case may be, Brogdon seems unfazed by the lack of recognition. The man has been literally improving every year. Last season, he logged in career-highs of 21.2 points and 5.3 rebounds on top of a team-high 5.9 assists.

We should see another uptick from Brogdon's numbers this year. It helps that Carlisle—a coach who has worked with the likes of Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic—is back in the fold for the Pacers. He has the capacity to tap and unveil more of Brogdon's potential. Brogdon has the playmaking genes in him. Two seasons ago, he averaged 7.1 assists per game. It's pretty feasible, with scorers such as LeVert and Sabonis in the fold, to replicate a similar number this season. As such, Brogdon will gain recognition as a skilled offensive orchestrator, the machine that makes his teammates better.

Myles Turner will win Defensive Player of the Year

The greatest travesty in the NBA today is that Turner, who has led the NBA in blocked shots twice, has never been selected to the All-Defensive Team. It's good that he gets a tiny bit of recognition. Last season, he finished ninth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year. Two seasons ago, he finished fifth. However, it still doesn't make sense when a guy who literally blocks the most shots per game isn't recognized in the NBA.

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Maybe it's due to the Pacers' subpar record during Turner's great defensive seasons. After all, winning is all that matters in the league. In the voters' eyes, a stellar individual performance only has worth if it translates into team victories. Having said that, Turner's chance of snagging his first DPOY trophy largely depends on the Pacers' record. So if the Pacers land anywhere between the first or third seed in the Eastern Conference, then we may just see Turner finally named DPOY.

Pacers will make the playoffs

The individual strides will dovetail into one solid Pacers squad led by a decorated coach in Carlisle. While it is true that the Eastern Conference is stacked, we cannot discount the fact that the Pacers have only missed the NBA Playoffs twice in the last 11 seasons. It speaks volumes of how great they are as a team. Even in rebuilding years, they managed to remain afloat.

Their core group of Brogdon, Sabonis, LeVert, Warren, and Turner are surrounded by incredible role players in TJ McConnell, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday, and Jeremy Lamb among others. Chris Duarte, the team's 13th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, turned heads for his performance in the Summer League and the preseason games. The Pacers have all the tools to succeed this year. It should not be a surprise if they qualify and even make a deep postseason run.