Indiana Pacers
The Pacers’ hot start has been one of the biggest surprises of this season. Coming into the season, this was a team that was widely considered to be a lottery team that had just given away its franchise superstar for nothing. Now, they are 19-18 and look like they will have a great chance to be a playoff team in the East.
The Pacers are a top-10 offense that has been fueled by likely first-time All-Star Victor Oladipo. He is averaging 24.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists on .485/.423/.790 shooting.
Oladipo’s rise to stardom and solid performances by the surrounding talent has turned this Pacers team into a contender for a top-6 seed. You would have been hard-pressed to find anyone predicting that coming into the season.
What to Watch For:
The Pacers have been a legitimate top-10 offense this season with one of the strangest shot profiles in the league. The Pacers are in the bottom third of the league in three point attempts and are 15th in shots in the restricted area, the two most efficient areas to generate points. While they don’t get up many shots from deep they do lead the league, shooting 38.9% as a team.
The Pacers have done their damage from the mid-range, where they are second in attempts at 22.3 per game. They are also second in the league in field goal percentage from mid-range, converting 44.4% of their attempts.
Look to see if the Pacers can continue to be an elite offense while living on these kind of looks. Clearly a lot of what they are doing is real but it will be interesting to see what the numbers look like at the end of the season.