NBA Power Rankings: Where all 30 teams stand after the draft, free agency

21. Indiana Pacers

Key offseason move: Signed Bruce Brown, acquired Obi Toppin 

The Indiana Pacers are a team that has the talent to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference and I can’t imagine this is a team that’s going to remain in the bottom 10 of many editions of NBA Power Rankings. But because of the amount of young talent on the roster, this is also a team that will have to prove their ability to be a consistent team. Until that happens, the Pacers should be considered a dark horse playoff team in the East.

There’s an argument to be made that the Pacers have one of the most intriguing young cores in Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. They only added to that this offseason by drafting Jarace Walker and trading for Obi Toppin (from the New York Knicks). Another key move of the offseason included signing Bruce Brown, a wing 3-and-D player that should be able to help right away.

If their young players take the step forward that many expect them to, it’s hard to imagine, with the amount of talent this team has on its roster, that the Pacers won’t at least be in the Play-In Tournament this season.