Indiana Pacers 2015 Offseason Grade

With Paul George back, anything is possible for this new-look Pacers roster.

In

Monta Ellis – free agency (four years, $44 million)

Jordan Hill – free agency (one year, $5 million)

Glenn Robinson III – free agency (three years, $3.2 million)

Chase Budinger – traded from Minnesota

Rakeem Christmas – traded from Cavaliers

Myles Turner – no. 11 overall pick

Joseph Young – no. 43 overall pick

Out

David West – Declined Player Option

Luis Scola – Declared Free Agency

Donald Sloan – Declared Free Agency

CJ Watson – Declared Free Agency

Roy Hibbert – Traded to Los Angeles Lakers

Damjan Rudez – Traded to Minnesota Timberwolves

Chris Copeland – Declared Free Agency

Overview

Pace yourself if you’re an Indiana fan. Things are about to get even worse. But how long, realistically, will Larry Legend’s team be down? A healthy Paul George could prove all the critics wrong, including myself. There was a sizeable overhaul this offseason by the Indiana Pacers, with big names coming and going, though none of which will make or break this team. Losing Hibbert has to hurt, especially considering how much of a force he was defensively in the post and how necessary he was in helping the Pacers be the only Eastern Conference challenger to Lebron’s team since the Big Three’s Celtics. But with new talent and a nod to the reality that they weren’t near that level any longer, things had to change.

Hibbert, for all intents and purposes, was exactly what you wanted from a defensive standpoint. However, he wasn’t close to what you would hope for offensively from a guy standing 7’2”. David West, however, was the offensive savant for a number of years with Indiana, and he complemented Hibbert very well. Now, both have moved on to greener pastures (yes, even the Lakers are a greener pasture because it gives Hibbert a chance to renew his confidence and show what he can do in a contract year). West signed a ridiculously discounted deal to join next year’s champions, the San Antonio Spurs (because Duncan + Aldridge = super team post duo). Now, it’s up to a tandem of Myles Turner and Paul George (the likely starting PF on day 1 due to Larry Bird’s recent comments). But the biggest takeaway from the departure of Hibbert and West? $28.1 million. That’s the amount of money they saved this year by losing both players.

That money has been put to use this offseason, starting with the acquisition of Monta Ellis, supreme secondary scoring threat. Pairing Ellis with Paul George will be more than beneficial for a team that has struggled to score, finishing 24^th in PPG in each of the last two seasons. George Hill had a career year last season, with over 16 PPG, so adding Monta Ellis should give the team a well-rounded offensive attack. Center Myles Turner from Texas will also bring an offensive approach along with some shot-blocking ability after averaging 2.6 blocks per contest at Texas, making the departure of Hibbert easier to accept from the defensive side of the ball. He also shot 3-pointers at a 27 percent clip in college, more than a respectable number from a 6’11” big man and something that Hibbert never had in his arsenal even though he has averaged the same number over his NBA career (22 attempts). Also drafted alongside Turner this year was Joseph Young, a premier scorer with the Oregon Ducks who never shot below 35 percent from deep in his college career. This is a guy who can come off the bench and give a big scoring punch to the Pacers in time.

Jordan Hill is another acquisition that just makes sense. It’s a one-year deal that allows them to remain flexible for the spending spree of 2016 as well as have a solid backup for Turner and/or Paul George. He will most likely play more of center as Lavoy Allen was re-signed on an extremely team-friendly deal to remain the backup PF in Indy.

Aside from the low post, the Pacers picked up a pair of intriguing wings in Chase Budinger (via trade with Minnesota) and Glenn Robinson III (via free agency). While Budinger is a six-year veteran with a respectable 36 percent from behind the arc on his résumé, the GRIII is a second-year pro with a load of potential after being a standout player on a great Michigan team a few years ago. He has the mold of a three-and-D player, and he should have a shot at being a major contributor in a year or two. Budinger will likely slide into the starting SF slot vacated by PG as he shifted to power forward this offseason. Budinger is on the last year of his contract while Robinson III is signed for three years at just over $3 million total. I think the Pacers will want to see if he can be a reliable backup for when they inevitably move George back to his more natural SF position in a year, though he may spend a large portion of his time in the D-League to begin the season. Lost in the Budinger trade was Damjan Rudez, a sharpshooter who played only 16 minutes a game, thus not a large contributing factor towards their success in the upcoming season.

Rakeem Christmas was another asset gained from trade this year, this one via the Cavaliers. I think this adds great value down low as he projects as a rim protector who will backup Turner and not have a drop off defensively, something the Pacers love to emphasize. He didn’t really show his potential until his senior season with Syracuse, in which he averaged 17.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG and added 2.5 blocks. He’s a candidate to push Turner for minutes if the young big man out of Texas doesn’t perform well, but should also serve as good competition and motivation for Turner. It’s an interesting move having two rim-protecting bigs, albeit with differing skillsets, come in at the same time fresh out of college.

From a loss perspective, losing CJ Watson I think hurts because he’s shown how valuable of a backup point guard he can be, at times filling in for the injured Derrick Rose during his stint in Chicago, and also providing great scoring off the bench. He’s a career 38% shooter from distance, so the loss will hurt from that angle, though I think they’ve done a good job adding shooters this offseason while not losing a terrific amount of them. Chris Copeland will be missed off the bench as well, but again, the Pacers have done a good job of filling in their roster with future talent instead of relying upon the current roster of decent players that have met or probably won’t meet their potential overall. For now, I think it’s clear that this team is destined to compete for the 7^th to 10^th spot in the East, however they’ve certainly added pieces for the future while trimming the fat off the current roster (no Hibbert, that’s not a shot at you).

Grade: B+