The Indiana Pacers knew the deal coming into this season: just stay afloat until Victor Oladipo gets back.

While there is no definitive timetable for Oladipo, who suffered a torn quad tendon in his knee in January, the general consensus is that he will return at some point in December or January, which leaves him plenty of time to get in shape for a potential playoff run.

But until that point, numerous Pacers players are going to be tasked with more responsibility than they are accustomed to, and two of those players are key offseason additions T.J. Warren and Jeremy Lamb.

Warren and Lamb combined for just 20 points on 9-of-23 shooting in what ended up being a 119-110 opening-night loss to a Detroit Pistons club that did not have Blake Griffin.

Neither player made a 3-pointer, and they went a meager 2-of-5 from the free-throw line as a tandem.

Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon all showed out, posting 27, 25 and 22 points, respectively, but Indiana absolutely needs more from Warren and Lamb.

Warren in particular was added for some scoring pop.

The 26-year-old has averaged 19.6 and 18.0 points, respectively, over the last two seasons with the Phoenix Suns. Last season, he made 48.6 percent of his shots and 42.8 percent of his triples.

That production and efficiency was absent against the Pistons, and while it's just one game, it needs to change going forward, especially with Oladipo out of the lineup.

Indiana is hoping Warren can replace some of the production the departed Bojan Bogdanovic gave last year, and he failed to match those expectations in Game 1.

As for Lamb? He has never been a big-time scorer, but during his final season with the Charlotte Hornets in 2018-19, he registered a career-high 15.3 points per game.

So, while scoring 10 points is not too out of the ordinary for him, it's not enough for a Pacers team that is currently without its best player.

To be fair to both guys, they are on a new team in a new city in a new system, so it's probably going to take them some time to get acclimated to their new surroundings.

Plus, again, it was just one game out of 82, so there is plenty of time for them to find their footing.

And you know what? There is no reason to believe that they won't, provided they stay healthy (Warren has a checkered injury history). These guys are both very talented, and they are joining a team-first club that won 48 games a year ago.

I'll add this: if Sabonis, Turner and Brogdon can continue playing at a high level, all the Pacers will need is for Warren and Lamb to be efficient and score in the right spots.

Yes, Indy may have lost to a shorthanded Detroit squad in its season opener, but we did get a glimpse of how dangerous this team could potentially become if Warren and Lamb get into a rhythm and Oladipo comes back healthy.

The Pacers may very well turn out to be the most well-rounded team in the Eastern Conference, but it's going to take better efforts from Warren and Lamb going forward for them to reach their high ceiling.