Taking a closer look at the new-look Indiana Pacers heading into the 2017-18 season
The Indiana Pacers have made quite a few changes in the offseason, such as adding and losing a few players. Let’s take a closer look at what Indy did at the NBA Draft and what transpired during NBA Free Agency.
First, lets talk about the draft. The Pacers drafted UCLA’s T.J. Leaf with the 18th pick and Ike Anigbogu, also out of UCLA, with the 47th pick. A few picks later, they also added Xavier’s Edmond Sumner at No. 52.
Leaf is a power forward who has the ability to drive to the rim and shoot the deep ball effectively. Adding a player like Leaf was a great decision on the part of the Pacers. The hope, of course, is that Leaf will one day develop into a running mate with Myles Turner.
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Anigbogu has the potential to become a great option off the bench at the center position, such as Kevin Seraphin or a Bismack Biyombo type of player. Edmond Sumner will predictably be a project, but has good size (6-foot-5) for a point guard. Though, he has a lot of work to do with his jump shot.
In a move that seemed to shock the NBA world, shortly before NBA Free Agency, the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo.
On the surface, this seems like pennies on the dollar for their superstar but maybe this deal will work out for the Pacers in the long run. Who knows? Although, you’d think they would’ve been able to strike a better return from a team like the Boston Celtics.
The other trade that Indy made was a Cory Joseph and C.J. Miles swap. Joseph gives the Pacers a starting point guard, after losing Jeff Teague in free agency, and it was probably time to move on from Miles.
During free agency, the Pacers added Bojan Bogdanovic, who will most likely replace George in the team’s staring lineup. Bogdanovic is a good three-point shooter and can handle the ball if needed. Although, he leaves much to be desired on the defensive end. That will hurt the Pacers.
Indiana, in addition to adding Joseph via trade at the point guard position, also brought in veteran lead guard Darren Collison. Question is, will all these moves be enough to offset the loss of Paul George and Jeff Teague?
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In short, the Indiana Pacers had a crazy offseason. But this is a brand new Pacers team and no one really knows how good or bad they’ll be. We’ll find out together when the seasons begins.