After a successful start to the Paul George era, the Indiana Pacers traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Following playoff disappointments, George informed the Pacers he would not re-sign in 2018 and reportedly had an eye on the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the Pacers forced to start all over again, it appears they will rebuild around Myles Turner. However, a familiar face returned late last season in Lance Stephenson. As the only remaining starter from the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals team, Stephenson is expected to be the team's sixth man for the 2017-18 NBA season according to Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports:

The Pacers were in a difficult position, but traded for Corey Joseph while signing Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanovic this offseason. As these players cannot replace George's production, they will have to do it as a collective unit led by Turner.

With Stephenson coming off the bench, it is expected Collison and Oladipo are the favorites to start in the backcourt together for head coach Nate McMillan. However, that could quickly change during the course of training camp and preseason.

Stephenson averaged 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in six games last season.