Indiana Pacers: Not just a pleasant surprise anymore

The Indiana Pacers might not just be a pleasant surprise after all; they might really be good

Who would have thought that after the Paul George trade this past summer the Indiana Pacers would be the fifth seed – and just four games out of the second seed – in the East at this point in the season?

This does not seem like a rebuilding year. It is still early, but at 16-12, Indiana is the surprise team in the NBA. And admittedly so, seeing Paul George return to Bankers life Fieldhouse in a Oklahoma City Thunder uniform was odd.

Perhaps the most surprising thing to come out of this season for Indiana is the resurgence of Victor Oladipo, who has established himself as the go-to guy for the Pacers while averaging career highs in points (24.3), rebounds (5.3), steals (1.9), field goal percentage (48), and 3-point percentage (43).

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There is no doubt that he’s playing like one of the best guards in all of basketball right now. Oladipo is thriving again in the Hoosier State, just like he did in Bloomington.

Aside from Oladipo, the Pacers have five other players averaging double figures in points – Bojan Bogdanovic (14.6), Myles Turner (14.1), Thaddeus Young (13.4), Domantas Sabonis (12.0), and Darren Collison (12.1). This team is super balanced and they have a great rotation of pieces.

Collison and Cory Joseph form a solid, experienced one-two punch at the point guard position. Bogdanovic is second on this team in scoring (14.6 points per game) and shooting a career-high 42.3 percent from downtown. An underrated signing, Bogdanovic fits perfectly at the small forward positon in the starting lineup for the Pacers.

Indiana has young bigs in Turner and Sabonis, with the latter producing even more than many had anticipated. Turner keeps improving his all-around game, including his perimeter shooting and rim-protecting.

Thaddeus Young is the ultimate teammate and glue-guy for this team. He does a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor for the Pacers. His versatility should not go unnoticed. Young has been a solid player in this league for years. He has averaged double figures in scoring since the 2008-09 season.

Many people thought that the Indiana Pacers did not get enough in return when trading away their franchise superstar. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis didn’t seem like a fair package. However, Oladipo has embraced being the man in Indianapolis and has become one of the great stories in the NBA so far. Sabonis is only 21 years of age and is a nice piece for this young core. Turner is also only 21 years of age and Oladipo is still only 25.

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The Indiana Pacers have won four out of their last five games and 10 of their last 14 overall. Indiana might not be just a pleasant surprise anymore. They might really be good.

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