NBA: 8 big questions remaining heading into the push for the playoffs

Have the Indiana Pacers/Miami Heat hit their peaks this season?

For much of the pre-All-Star portion of the season, the Miami Heat were the surprising darlings of the Eastern Conference. They’ve been sitting in the top 4 of the East for much of the season and the emergence of Bam Adebayo, which was crescendoed by winning the NBA’s Skills Challenge on All-Star Weekend, has been a joy to watch.

Although, since Jan. 10 the Heat has struggled a bit. They’re 8-9 during the stretch, and sport the 11th worst defense in the NBA. That’s certainly something to keep an eye on. With all the young players that they’ve relied on this season, you can’t help but wonder if they’ve hit a wall.

The Indiana Pacers were almost equally impressive to start the season without Victor Oladipo. However, since Oladipo made his return, the team has struggled. And that’s putting it lightly. Since his return, the Pacers are just 2-5.

Over that seven-game span, the Pacers have a bottom 10 offense and a -2.4 Net Rating. It’s a small sample size and the hope is that this recent slump is a growing pains process, but it is certainly something to watch.