After a questionable move this past offseason, it felt like the Indiana Pacers were going to undergo an era of irrelevancy. Known to be one of the best in the business, mainly because of his good stint with the Portland Trail Blazers, president Kevin Pritchard suddenly made an uncharacteristic move last June, as he appeared to make a rushed decision with the team's disgruntled superstar, Paul George… or so we thought.
Pritchard declined potential blockbuster trades numerous times, and accepted an offer made by the Oklahoma City Thunder that stirred away from the norm when teams are unloading superstars.
He only got two players, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in return and wasn't able to acquire any draft picks. He looked like the latest donkey that OKC GM Sam Presti had played a fast one on.
Fast forward to now, Pritchard is looking like his classic self. The Pacers are slowly but surely turning some heads in the league, as they are inside the top eight in points (107.3 points per game) and offensive rating.
Their surprising offense has also matched their 120-point games output from the previous year (nine), and there's still 39 games left in their season. The last time they had 10 or more was during the 1991-92 campaign.
What's more interesting is that the two of the guys that were involved in the Paul George trade are among the biggest reasons for the Pacers' surge. Oladipo has risen from being a mid-tier combo guard to a strong candidate for an All-Star spot, thanks to his current averages of 24.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.0 steals; while Sabonis is proving to be a solid power forward, netting 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in just 24.7 minutes of play.
The Pacers began their five-game road trip with a cruising 120-97 over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, their fourth win in the last five games.
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