Indiana Pacers: Fan perspective on the big talking points
Aaron Eamer is a fan of the Indiana Pacers. He assesses the 2021-22 season for his team and then casts an eye ahead to the 2022-23 campaign for Indiana.
The first time I became a basketball fan was in Las Vegas when I was 16. I watched the New Jersey Nets play the Indiana Pacers back in 2004. Since then, I've visited Indianapolis 42 times and I have a Pacers tattoo, a signed basketball and a Reggie Miller jersey. He has also met the Simon family and the Pacers' owners. He's also made friends in Indiana. The team has had ups-and-downs in recent years. They have had a lot of great players. In the 90s, it was Jordan, 2000, Shaq and Kobe, and 2013-15 it's LeBron.
The Indiana Pacers had a disappointing season. The team was rebuilding and only one of the starting five remains in Indianapolis. They have since acquired Tyrese Haliburton. The season was ungraded if grading the roster changes. If grading based on expectations, the season would be better.
Benedict Mathurin was drafted at the highest spot since the late-80s. He will play with Tyrese Haliburton. The two look like they will develop well together.
The Pacers have managed to tie-up Jalen 'Redacted' Smith after receiving him in a mid-season trade. Deandre Ayton almost came to join his former teammate in Indianapolis in free agency. Myles Turner would have had to be traded if he joined Aytons. The Pacers got a late-first round pick in 2023 to pair with a couple of others they already hold. They also got financial freedom and another 2020 lottery pick. They got the 2020 draft's No 10, No 12 and No 14 along with 2022's # 6 (Mathurin) and 2021's No 13 (Duarte).
The Indiana Pacers are looking forward to next season. Next season is about developing the players and developing Tyrese Haliburton and Benedict Mathurin. The Pacers have a promising young team at the moment. They will be looking to add one more young body to the group in the 2023 draft.
Indiana Pacers are a young team with no expectations. They will probably not find themselves on national TV often. There's nothing quite like supporting an underdog and being there from the start of a new chapter.
