Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, having dropped out of the Eastern Conference playoffs after double-overtime loss in Cleveland on Sunday. This was a team that truly faded, and their drop-off happened over two lackluster months. Since February, they’re 12-18 — not mind-numbingly bad but bad enough to potentially lose their precious playoff spot.
The stakes are perhaps higher for Indiana than anyone on this list saving perhaps for New Orleans. As you may know, small forward Paul George will, in all likelihood, exercise a player option after next season and become a free agent. Trade rumors have abounded for George, who has already publicly expressed frustration with the team. George’s first priority is to compete and, hypothetically, Indiana can offer that. He and center Myles Turner could form the nucleus of a title contender in the right situation. Moreover, if George makes an All-NBA team, the Pacers can offer him the super-max, which would likely be enough to drive away other bidders in free agency.
However, the chances of George making an All-NBA team seem to be low, especially given how deep the forward position is right now. If Indiana fails to even make the postseason, it’s tough to see voters going for George over the likes of Paul Millsap or even Utah Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward.
As for contending, Indiana keeps dropping the ball. They hired Nate McMillan as their head coach to play faster, and are now they are playing slower. They decided to go small and shoot threes then made shooting guard Monta Ellis and Jeff Teague building blocks, choosing Teague over fellow point guard George Hill. They decided last year to have George be a small-ball power forward, which failed miserably.
The outlook isn’t good, and if the Pacers don’t right the ship, consequences will be dire.