The Indiana Pacers, playing without All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo, are 19-9 through the first 28 games of the season.

At some point this season, Oladipo will return from his gruesome knee injury. The high-flyer believes the Pacers “could be really special” once he comes back at plays at the level we know he can produce at.

“I think we could be really special,” Oladipo told Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. “I think we could make some real noise, and I think we got a chance to shock a lot of people. But, at the end of the day, we just need to continue to take care of what we need to take care of and just focus on us. No one else matters. If we do that, everything will take care of itself.”

The Pacers got swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2019 playoffs without Oladipo. Indiana didn't have a go-to scorer to give the ball to in the fourth quarter when the game slowed down.

This season, the Pacers have Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren and Jeremy Lamb on the roster, three guys who are each averaging over 14.0 points per game.

Once Oladipo returns, the Pacers will look to make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.