(All stats and records through Jan. 15; for report cards for all 30 teams click here.)
Offense: 104.8, 16th Overall
Defense: 105.8, 19th Overall
W-L | Pct. | GB:
20-19 | .513 | 9.0
Conf.: 13-12
Div.: 5-3
Home: 15-5
Road: 5-14
FRONTCOURT: B-
Paul George has sagged at times under the burden of carrying this team and his numbers have dropped off from last season. Veteran forward Thaddeus Young (42 percent) and young center Myles Turner (43.1) have established themselves as serious 3-point threats.
BACKCOURT: C+
Jeff Teague has played like the true point guard Indiana occasionally pined for during George Hill’s seasons in Indy. Teague is trying to become the first Pacers player since Jamaal Tinsley 14 years ago to average at least 7.0 assists. Monta Ellis’ shots and points are down to their lowest levels since his rookie season (2005-06).
DEFENSE: C
The days of former coach Frank Vogel’s “smash mouth” defense are long gone for the Pacers. This is an offensive-minded team fashioned to president Larry Bird’s specifications, with middle-of-the-pack performances on the defensive end.
BENCH: B-
C.J. Miles has been playing like a Sixth Man candidate, averaging 11.2 points in just 22 minutes, nearly all of his appearances off the bench. Big Al Jefferson brings the old-school post-ups at a per-36 minute rate not unlike his prime years in Minnesota, Utah and Charlotte.
COACHING: C+
Nate McMillan had a reputation as a defensive coach in his Portland days, but the Pacers have slacked off at that end of the floor. He was a low-profile hire who seems to be facing no serious pressure, as long as Indiana stays on track for a playoff berth in the manageable East.
OVERALL GRADE: B-
The Pacers got to the midpoint the wrong way last year, losing three in a row as part of a 1-6 slump. This season, they had won five consecutive games before traveling all the way to London to get drubbed by Denver. Indiana looks to be a second-tier team at best in the East, no longer expected to surpass last season’s 45-39 record, never mind push Cleveland or even Toronto for conference supremacy. Young Turner’s rapid advances need to continue to get him in sync with the prime of others on this roster.
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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