The National Basketball Association is a month away, and it is once again time to preview every NBA franchise. I will be covering the teams in the Eastern Conference and my colleague, Joel Beatton, will feature teams in the Western Conference. Today we are featuring the Indiana Pacers.
Key Acquisition
Bruce Brown of Boston, Massachusetts, a guard and small forward, is joining the Pacers on a two-year contract worth $45 million. Last season he won the NBA Finals with the Denver Nuggets. Brown averaged 11.5 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game, and had a field goal percentage of .483, three-point percentage of .358, and a free throw percentage of .758. In addition to previously playing for the Denver Nuggets, Brown has also played with the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.
Fantasy Stars
Tyrese Haliburton of Oshkosh, Wisconsin was an All-Star for the first time in 2022-23. He averaged a double double for the first time in his career (career-highs 20.7 points per game and 10.4 assists per game). Haliburton also had 3.7 rebounds per game, 1.6 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .490, three point percentage of .400, and free throw percentage of .871. Considered as one of the NBA’s elite guards, he is ranked second among shooting guards and third among point guards. The Pacers awarded Haliburton with his fine season last year by giving him a five-year contract extension worth the maximum amount of $260 million.
Meanwhile, center Myles Turner of Bedford, Texas is ninth among centers. He averaged 18 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 2.3 blocks per game, and 1.4 assists per game. Turner has a field goal percentage of .548, three-point percentage of .373, and a free throw percentage of .783.
Projected Finish
Last year Indiana finished fourth in the Central Division with a record of 35 wins and 47 losses. There is a belief that the Pacers are a team on the rise this season, and could even pass the Chicago Bulls into third place. The Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers are clearly the top two teams in the Central, but the Pacers could squeak into the play-in tournament and get around the .500 mark.
For FREE!
