Observations from the Pacers’ first preseason game of 2015-2016

I know the preseason is supposed to mean nothing, but it’s hard to not get excited to see this new Indiana Pacers squad with a healthy Paul George, additions like Monta Ellis and rookie Myles Turner, and a revamped small-ball offense that is supposed to put more points on the board.

With so many new pieces and a brand new philosophy, however, we all know it’s going to be a work in progress, and that was evident tonight as the Pacers got beat by Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-105. The game wasn’t as close as the score suggests.

Here are some of my observations.

• Paul George was clicking early, finishing with 12 points in the first quarter on 5-8 shooting. He appears to have gotten past the horrific leg snap from a year ago and ended the game with 18 points (7-15 shooting), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in a team-high 24 minutes. Sadly, he also put up a team-worst -17 plus-minus. Despite his reservations (he reiterated them again after the game), he looked semi-decent out there at PF, and my guess is that Frank Vogel will continue to experiment throughout the preseason. The only thing that worries me is that PG will try and do too much to put up individual numbers (he had 5 turnovers tonight) once he realizes that this team isn’t as talented as it was a couple of years ago.

• Monta Ellis had a horrible debut, missing all four shots and finishing with 2 points on free throws. He’s understandably timid on a new team, but he needs to be more aggressive.

• Same for George Hill and his new hair, who was passive early on before ramping up his production in the second half. He finished with a well-rounded 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in 22 minutes. The Pacers will need the aggressive George Hill all season for the Pacers to go where they want to go.

• Ian Mahinmi got the start at center and was pretty much as I feared: good enough for a decent Roy Hibbert imitation but not good/respected enough to stay on the floor to make a significant impact. Ian had 4 blocks in 14 minutes but picked up 2 fouls in the first quarter and this third foul in the second.

• Loved what I saw from rookie Myles Turner. This play says it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd7WgJ9mL1E

• Good to see second-rounder Joseph Young play aggressively and not afraid to put up shots. He’s going to be a volume shooter (he was just 3-11 tonight) but can make a difference when he’s hot.

• New acquisition Jordan Hill had a solid offensive start with 10 points on 4-6 shooting with 2 blocks for a team-high +9 on the plus-minus chart.

• Glenn Robinson had some garbage time and took advantage to score 10 points.

• Solomon Jones looking to prove people wrong after a horrendous Summer League. He had a strong 10 points in 20 minutes.

• Rodney Stuckey, now permanently leading the second unit, looked comfortable in putting up an underrated 4, 5, 4, 1, 1 line in 16 minutes.

• Only guy on the roster who didn’t play was Chase Budinger, who’s a little banged up.

Again, let’s not read too much into one preseason loss. If you recall, the Pacers lost like their first four preseason games in 2013-2014 and finished the preseason 3-5, and that was the year they opened 9-0 and 16-1 en route to the number one seed in the East.