9. Indiana Pacers (32-16)
For much of this season, the Indiana Pacers were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Even though they really didn’t get much public recognition for the job they were doing, they were certainly one of the Conference Finals contenders.
However, losing Victor Oladipo for the remainder of the season will certainly hurt this team’s momentum heading into the playoff push. It’s going to be interesting to see how much of a fall this team makes.
The Pacers will likely still make the playoffs, but Oladipo will surely be missed when it matters most. He was their closer and their best offensive weapon. You can’t just replace that mid-season.