Indiana Pacers: Why Frank Vogel’s Job Is Much Easier This Season

Over the past three seasons, Indiana Pacers’ coach Frank Vogel has orchestrated a team predicated on strong chemistry and defense.  Every year, we see the Pacers improve in a certain area and ultimately make life difficult for the back-to-back champion, Miami Heat.  After a terrific offseason that is surprisingly being overlooked, Vogel’s task of making this team into a contender is already complete.  Getting over the hump, however, will be decided by the talent around him.

Having a greatly improved second unit on hand will make things more comfortable for coach Frank Vogel. Photo: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule

One major piece of the championship puzzle will be back for Indiana next season and his name is Danny Granger.  The condition in which Granger will return and his production after recovering from a serious knee issue will be the biggest factor in the Pacers’ success.  With his offense (18.7 points per game when healthy in 2011-12) and defensive pressure against the top All-Stars he’s matched up against, Indiana should find it much simpler to handle the NBA’s powerhouses.

Drafted in 2005, Granger is considered a veteran alongside forward David West.  How well he adjusts to Paul George‘s sudden takeoff as the team’s No. 1 option will be interesting.  That result is something that Vogel can’t control on the court.  He must let Granger get re-incorporated into the system and see if he and George can complement one another.

Another nightmare for the Pacers has been somewhat resolved this summer.  The lack of bench depth was a concern all through the 2013 playoffs and it certainly didn’t give them a real shot at defeating the Miami Heat in a Game 7 on the road.  With Lance Stephenson and Tyler Hansbrough being the best options on your secondary lineup, it was surprising the team made it as far as they did.

Danny Granger must step up and create one exciting duo next to the rising Paul George. Photo Credit: Yuan2003, Flickr.com

However, next season, Vogel’s stress level throughout games should be lowered due to the additions of Luis Scola, Chris Copeland and C.J. Watson.  Scola, who will be the primary backup for David West, has playoff experience with the Houston Rockets.  In his past, Scola provided 16 to 18 points per game with starters’ minutes while still developing his post game.  Vogel will be more than comfortable giving Scola 24 to 25 minutes per game if needed, seeing as he is a huge upgrade from Hansbrough.

Copeland and Watson are both 29-year-0ld perimeter backups that fit into the rotation quite nicely.  Copeland is entering just his second season in the league and has already proved to be a threat from 3-point land during his tenure with the New York Knicks.  He may see more minutes than expected if Granger’s knee becomes a concern at any point next season.  This will allow Paul George and George Hill to run an offense with better shooting options.  As you should remember, Lance Stephenson started many games next to Hill in the backcourt, forcing Paul George to play more of a forward-guard hybrid.  Vogel will fall in love with Copeland’s production in the second unit, which could lead to better results than having Stephenson play 35 minutes per game in the playoffs again.

C.J. Watson knows a thing or two about backing up quality point guards.  In the past three seasons, he has came off the bench behind Derrick Rose and Deron Williams.  And while Watson isn’t going to come in and rescue any team from a bad night, he is going to be a much smoother piece in the second unit than D.J. Augustin was a year ago.  It almost became a huge liability for Vogel to take out his starting point guard against the better backcourts in the league last season and eventually just put too much pressure on George and Hibbert to create any scoring opportunities.  With Watson on board, Vogel’s trust in this whole roster just increases.  He now has another guard that shoots well from the perimeter (41.1 percent from deep last season) and has been mentored by great talents.

Two upcoming stars, Paul George and Roy Hibbert, are still blossoming in Indiana.  The former All-Star and heart of the team, Granger still has his physical side to him that makes this No. 2 defense (only 90.7 points allowed per game last season) the best in the Eastern Conference.  Frank Vogel believed his team could make a Finals appearance last season.  Management has improved this roster and Vogel’s work last season made his players believe they belong with the best teams in the NBA.  His stars must now step up and make this opportunity count.[slider_pro id=”12″]