Grading each Pacer after first 10 games of 2015-2016

With three more wins, against the Magic (97-84) and then the Celtics (102-91) and tonight against the Timberwolves (107-103), the Indiana Pacers have opened up their 2015-2016 campaign with a respectable 6-4 record despite a 0-3 start (for the math geniuses out there, that’s a 6-1 record since Nov. 1).

The team still looks like a work in progress a lot of the time, though it’s comforting to know that things aren’t as bad as they seemed just a few weeks ago. So who has been most responsible for the way the team has played? Here are my two cents on each player on the roster and how they have performed overall through the first 10 games of the season. Bear in mind, these grades are based on how their actual impact compared to pre-season expectations, and games missed due to injury are taken into account.

George Hill
(10 games, 14 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.6 spg, 43.4% FG, 45.3% 3P)

Hill was playing at an All-Star level when he was on the floor last season, and the concern was whether he’d be able to continue that aggression this season with a new core and the return of ball-dominant Paul George.

Well, he’s passing thus far, averaging 14.0 points per game (second leading scorer on team) on 43.4% shooting and a career-high 2.4 three pointers a game at a whopping 45.3%. Keep in mind he has never shot more than 40% from three for an entire season. He free throw percentage, however, is currently at a career-low 72.7%, and it might be fatigue-related. With Rodney Stuckey missing action and Joe Young too green to contribute, Hill is averaging a career-high 36.9 minutes a game.

His 3.7 assists could be better, but he’s making up for it with 1.6 steals per game, not bad for a guy who relies on steady toe-to-toe defense as opposed to gambling the passing lanes. Frank Vogel only recently lauded Hill’s D, calling him one of the best defensive point guards in the league. Hill struggled with turnovers early in the season but has averaged just 0.9 turnovers since the team’s miserable 0-3 start, including a stretch of three games without a single TO on the stat sheet.

His production has dropped a little in the last two games (6.5 points, 2.5 rebounds on 33% shooting), but overall he has definitely been one of the more underrated contributors to the team’s success early in the season.

Grade: B+

Monta Ellis
(10 games, 12.6 ppg, 4.9 apg, 1.8 spg, 39.8% FG, 23.3% 3P)

Disappointing is the first word that comes to mind when describing Monta’s performance in his first 10 games as a Pacer. I thought he would perhaps be the team’s leading scorer this season in a small-ball oriented offense, and yet Monta has struggled mightily in putting the ball in the basket, averaging just 12.6 points per game, the lowest since his rookie season. And he’s doing it at a career-low 39.8% shooting and a career-low 23.3% from three — and this is only after logging 24 points on 11-17 in tonight’s win against the Wolves.

Sometimes he looks too passive, other times he seems overly and inopportunely aggressive. Either way, he hasn’t meshed into the offensive as well as he should have on paper.

And let’s not get started on his defense. You don’t need to be an expert to see what he’s a weak link, struggling to get around screens and being exploited because of his lack of size.

But when you watch Monta play, you can see the possibilities he possesses. When he gets in the open court he is dynamite, and I’ve seen fast break plays where he just blows by everyone and leaves defenders in his wake. I’ve seen him make big shots, I’ve seen him hold his own on defense (like tonight’s big block against Andre Miller down the stretch) and I’ve seen him make good plays for teammates with his passing (he does lead the team in that category). He just needs to do it all more consistently, not once every few games like he has thus far.

Grade: D+

CJ Miles
(7 games, 11.9 ppg, 39.7% FG, 34.1% 3P)

I like that Miles has continued to be a gunner for the Pacers this season, a fearless shooter and underrated athlete who can be an X factor on any given night. He’s going to miss his fair share, but when he’s on his game he can be a lethal weapon.

But he has missed three games and has been limited in others because of a bum ankle, which I must take into account, and overall his shooting needs to be better (39.7% from the field and 34.1% from three). It seems that the Pacers will just have to be content with him being hot and cold for the majority of the season, and hope that he helps the team with his shooting more than he hurts it.

Grade: C+

Paul George
(10 games, 24.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg, 42.9% FG, 38.3% 3P)

PG13’s return from a broken leg has been the biggest story for this new Pacers team thus far in 2015-2016. Was he going to pick up where he left off before the injury, looking like one of the best two-way players in the league? Or was he heading down the path of D-Rose, never being the same player again?

Early signs suggested the latter as PG struggled from the field and the Pacers spluttered to three consecutive losses. But since then, he has been electrifying, scoring at least 26 points for each the last 6 games on 47.5% shooting. Right now, PG is 10th in the league in scoring, and he’s still one of the best defenders in the league. What a lot of people don’t realize is that he’s also averaging career highs in rebounds and assists.

I’m penalizing PG a little for the slow start and still making too many brain-fart turnovers (3.7 per game, a career-high), but on the whole it’s hard to ask for much more from him given the circumstances. If he stays healthy the Pacers have a guaranteed All-Star this season, and probably an All-NBA selection too.

Grade: A-

Ian Mahinmi
(9 games, 7.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 56.9% FG, 22.2% FT)

As much as everyone was bashing Roy Hibbert last season, absolutely no one thought the team would be better off with Ian Mahinmi as the full-time starter. And yet that was the reality facing the Pacers when Frank Vogel decided that he still wanted a rim protector in the starting line up.

I must admit I expected nothing from Ian except to pick up two fouls in the first 5 minutes of every game and basically sit out the rest of the game. Instead, he has surprised, filling in admirably for the most part on the defensive end while doing better than anticipated offensively as the spread offense opens up more opportunities for him to finish with dunks. He’s still only averaging 23.7 minutes, meaning he’s on the floor less than half the game, and a lot of that has to do with his 3.1 fouls he picks up during that time.

Even so, he’s proven himself to be more than just a poor man’s version of Hibbert (with the exception of the abysmal free throw shooting, which has already led to several incidents of “Hack-a-Ian”). Look at the stat comparison between the two through nine games apiece, adjusted to 36 minutes where applicable.

I have no idea what happened to Ian at the free throw line — this is a guy who shot as high as 76% in Dallas and was a respectable 60%+ for his first two seasons in Indy, and yet last season he inexplicably fell to 30% and is even worse now. If he were shooting 70% from the line he’d be getting an A.

Grade: B

Jordan Hill
(9 games, 8.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 39.8% FG, 71% FT)

The signing of Jordan Hill had a lot of Pacers fans nervous. Sure, he posted career-high averages on a shithouse Lakers team, but in Indy he was supposed to be exposed. I don’t think he has at all — if anything, he is proving his worth with tremendous hustle and energy every game, averaging a team high 3.4 offensive boards per game, 1.5 more than second-place Paul George.

Hill’s field goal percentage is a lot lower than I expected it to be, and many of his misses have come from mid-range, where he is decidedly below average. But of all the Pacers big men, he has the most post moves and is arguably the best finisher, so the team needs to keep finding him. He’s had some big baskets too, something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Defensively, Hill has also been a little better than advertised, using hustle to make up for his deficiencies.

Grade: B

Rodney Stuckey
(7 games, 10.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, 46% FG, 86% FT)

A horrendous ankle sprain — one that was re-sprained when he tried to come back — has limited Stuckey to 7 games (5 really if you discount the ones where injury made him ineffective) so far this season. But when he’s on the floor, he’s been a difference maker, with the 23 points he poured in against his former team being the main reason why the Pacers picked up their first win of the season.

Like last year, Stuckey has been instant offense off the bench, playing confidently and effectively within the system but also within himself. The Pacers need him back healthy if they are going to make a push for a playoff seed.

Grade: B+

Chase Budinger
(10 games, 4.3 ppg, 1.5 apg, 42.9% FG, 40% 3P)

Budinger was supposed to be a big acquisition for the Pacers because of his versatility and the signs of improvement he showed at the end of last year after overcoming a slate of injuries. Instead, he has struggled to crack the rotation, averaging just 15.8 minutes on a team with a deficiency in wing depth. Yes, Paul George eats up a lot of minutes, but it’s not like CJ Miles is lighting it up.

If you just look at Bud’s stats, they aren’t that bad, but he’s struggled to make shots until just the last 3 or 4 games, and both his passing and rebounding have been average at best. His defense is also not great, though like Ellis, there are signs that he could be turning the corner.

Grade: D+

Myles Turner
(8 games, 6.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.88 bpg, 55.3% FG, 70% FT)

The Pacers’ first round pick would have earned an A had he not fractured his thumb last game after just a minute of action, meaning he will be out at least four weeks. He’s been as good as hoped in the 15 or so minutes we’ve seen from him every night, prompting many to question why he’s not getting more time over less effective bigs such as Lavoy Allen and Jordan Hill. My guess is that Vogel and the team staff don’t want to run their prized possession into the ground too early and want him to be able to contribute late into the season.

In 7 games (the 8th doesn’t really count), Turner has shown that he can hit that silky outside jumper with consistency, block shots, and hold his own against any opposing big man. Of course, as a rookie, he still makes some rookie mistakes and is often outsmarted by experienced veterans, but for the most part he is quickly proving the Pacers right for selecting him with the 10th overall pick. Per 36 minutes, he is averaging 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2 blocks a game, numbers I think the Pacers will expect from him by next season if he continues to progress at this pace. Let’s just hope the thumb fracture doesn’t set him back too much.

Grade: B+

Glenn Robinson III
(6 games, 5ppg, 2.3 rpg, 50% FG)

If we’re going by expectations alone, Glenn Robinson III has been the biggest surprise for the Pacers this season. Myles Turner and Joe Young were highly touted draft picks, but Robinson was thought to be a rainy-day insurance policy destined for D-League action. Instead, he has not only cracked the rotation with 14.5 minutes per game, he’s contributed when given the chance to play meaningful minutes. He was huge in the Pacers’ win against Boston on Nov. 4, his first game of the season, with 10 points, and was again key in tonight’s win over the Wolves with 11 points and 5 boards in 21 minutes. Like his old man, the kid simply knows how to put the ball in the hole, and I foresee him getting more minutes as the season progresses, provided he doesn’t get embarrassed too often on the defensive end.

Grade: A-

Lavoy Allen
(9 games, 3.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 33% FG, 50% FT)

Lavoy was supposed to be one of the biggest benefactors of the lacuna in the Pacers’ front line after the departure of David West and Roy Hibbert. He’s getting more than 20 minutes of action a night, but it’s becoming hard to justify playing him that much despite what he brings in terms of defense and rebounding. Fact is, Allen just can’t make a shot. He can’t hit the open mid-range with any consistency, neither can he finish baskets up close. I’ve seen him cost the team at least a couple of easy buckets every time I’ve watched the Pacers play. No one’s expecting him to be David West, but he needs to start proving that he’s not a massive offensive liability to it worthwhile to have him on the floor.

Grade: C-

Solomon Hill, Shayne Whittington, Joe Young

These three dudes haven’t had any time on the floor at all, so it’s not fair to grade them. All three are averaging 2 minutes a game, with Hill and Whittington having played in a single game and Young in two.

Grade: Inconclusive

Frank Vogel

Once again, Vogel is proving himself to be one of the best coaches in the league. The Pacers were regarded as a fringe playoff team in the weak East and lived up to that prediction in the first three games, but since finding their footing they’ve looked better and better every night. Vogel definitely deserves a lot of the credit in keeping up team morale and making them believe in the system, which is now starting to pay dividends. It’s not easy coaching a team with a new core and a new style of play, especially one with a superstar returning from career-threatening injury, and yet Vogel is having PG play the best basketball of his career (with the exception of that tear he went on to start the season a couple of years ago). From here, it is up to Vogel to figure out a way to better incorporate Ellis into the offense, better utilize Budinger’s skill set and make up for the loss of Myles Turner for the next month. There will inevitably be ups and downs, but Pacers fans should feel generally safe with Vogel at the helm.

Grade: A-