Indiana Pacers: Best Move They Did, Didn’t Make

The Indiana Pacers made sweeping changes this offseason to pursue a more fast-paced offensive identity. What was the best of those moves, and which move may have been a misstep for a franchise with lofty expectations?

The NBA uses a number of mechanisms to keep competitive balance across the league – a salary cap, max salary amounts, the draft. In this environment, teams rarely get everything they want.

While one team wins the lottery and drafts the superstar talent coming out of college, another slides back to third in a two-player draft. Some teams win, others lose out.

Every offseason is this way, and teams can be evaluated on the moves they make — and those moves they should have made. Looking at the league one by one, we turn our gaze to the Indiana Pacers today.

What was the best move of their offseason — and which move did they err in not making?

Larry Bird put his money where his mouth was this offseason, firing Frank Vogel and shaking up the roster to pursue a faster offensive team. The team will feature three new starters on Opening Night this October. How did their moves turn out?

Will Indiana move up in the East — or slide back down?

May 1, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner (33) takes a jump shot in practice before playing Toronto Raptors in game seven of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Best Move They Made: Not Blocking Myles Turner’s Minutes

The 2015 NBA Draft blessed the league with a plethora of talented big men. Karl-Anthony Towns, selected first overall, earned 44 votes for All-NBA during his rookie year.

He was joined on the All-Rookie teams by a host of bigs: Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic, Jahlil Okafor, Willie Cauley-Stein and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.

Selected 11th overall, Turner brought the intangibles every team craves in a big man. On defense, his elite athleticism and length predicted a shot-blocking rim protector. On offense, he showed the makings of hitting shots from anywhere on the court, including beyond the arc.

Concerns about his attitude and learning curve after a lackluster freshman year at Texas pushed him from the top-five down to the late lottery.

Those concerns were put to rest by midseason, as Turner was a regular part of a rotation that made the playoffs. Ian Mahinmi was in the midst of a career year at center, so Frank Vogel found time — and starts — at power forward for the rookie.

Best Move They Didn’t Make: Keeping The Better Point Guard

The Indiana Pacers were the most active team in the week leading up to the NBA Draft in June, making two separate trades to acquire starters for this upcoming season. In one they swapped the 20th pick in the draft for Thaddeus Young, who will start at power forward this season.

It is unlikely the 20th pick would have yielded a starting power forward for the Pacers, so the move fit their win-now mantra.

The other trade saw them swap out longtime starting point guard George Hill for Jeff Teague, a former All Star guard with the Atlanta Hawks. On the surface the move may seem strong, as Teague averaged more points, assists, and steals than Hill last season.

Teague is younger than Hill, has that All-Star nod in his recent past and was the primary ball-handler two seasons ago on a 60-win team.

But beneath the surface, this move is a step down for the Pacers both now and in the future. Jeff Teague is a primary ball-handler, a player who needs the ball in his hands to be most effective on offense.

Last year he hit a career-high 40 percent of his three-point attempts, but the majority of those shots came as pull-up jumpers, not spot-ups. He posted a negative Defensive Plus/Minus, unable to stay with the more athletic guards in the league.

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On a team with Monta Ellis and Paul George, there is not enough basketball to go around. Pair that with Ellis’ glaring shortcomings on defense, and what the Pacers need is a point guard with length who can defend either guard position to take the top assignment.

Ideally this point guard would be a lower-usage player who can spot up around George and Ellis.

That player was already on the roster. George Hill had a clearly defined role on this Pacers team — he served as a secondary ball-handler to Paul George and Monta Ellis, spotted up behind the arc and locked down opposing guards on defense.

Last season he knocked down over 40 percent of his three-pointers and his usage rate of 15.8 percent is significantly less than that of Teague (26.6).

Not only is Teague a downgrade this season, but for the future as well. Teague is younger than Hill, but is a pending free agent. History has shown his combination of skills to be worth a higher salary than someone such as Hill.

Indiana will most likely work to re-sign Teague to a new contract or extension, one that could start around $15 million or more. Hill, a player just as talented as Teague, will most likely sign for less money – in Utah, his new team, or elsewhere.

Whether Teague’s offensive playmaking turns out to be an upgrade over Hill is yet to be seen, but the Pacers are clearly taking a step back on defense. The Pacers will also develop ball-sharing issues that will stem from starting all three of Ellis, Teague, and George.

Even if Teague was a better player than Hill, he is not a better fit with the roster that now surrounds him in Indiana.

Larry Bird wanted change this season, and he got it. A new coach, new starters, and an idealistic goal of running competition off the court. But if the change doesn’t work, Bird will have no one to look to but himself.

Trading George Hill for Jeff Teague was a move the Pacers didn’t need to make, and shouldn’t have.

must read: Atlanta Hawks: Best Move They Did And Didn't Make

If Myles Turner turns into a star, these issues may smooth away. But until that happens, the Pacers will struggle more than expected. And in Utah, George Hill may flourish as the solid starter he is.