NBA Power Rankings: Sleeping giant awakes in West; Cavs ready to dethrone Celtics?
16. LA Clippers
As you would expect, the LA Clippers have been one of the most unpredictable teams of the season thus far. Without Kawhi Leonard, that's not exactly all that surprising. And with the uncertainty that he has around his availability moving forward, this is a team that is relying on an unproven supporting cast around James Harden. Because of that, it's hard to expect much from the Clippers, but because of their veteran experience, I do believe that they are a bit better than most around the league perceive them to be.
The big question for this team is whether or not Kawhi is going to be able to return and play most of the games down the stretch. If the answer to that question is yes, this team automatically becomes a potential dark horse threat in the wide-open Western Conference. However, if there is no clarity on Kawhi's situation by December, this is a team that perhaps might need to make some big decisions about their future leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline. At this point, it's difficult to predict how the Clippers season will end and you'd have to imagine that anything and everything is on the table for this franchise.
15. Indiana Pacers
At this point, I'm not sure you can describe the Indiana Pacers' start to the season with a word other than disappointing. Coming off a run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers have not picked up where they left off and have some pretty concerning developments to start the year. At 2-4, the only two wins for the Pacers came against the lowly Detroit Pistons and, ironically, against the Boston Celtics. I suppose that goes to show how polarizing this team can be in a vacuum. But if there is one huge concern for this team, it has to be the play of Tyrese Haliburton.
Through the first six games of the season, Haliburton has taken a huge step back as a star player. I'm not sure exactly what is off for Haliburton, but he is playing like a shell of his former self. Offensively, Haliburton is struggling mightily, averaging just 14 points on 34 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent shooting from 3-point range. If this doesn't turn around quickly, the Pacers might be dead in the water and that run to the Eastern Conference Finals will be remembered as a flash in the pan.