Indiana Pacers: The Perfect Storm For Donald Sloan
By Evan Massey
The Indiana Pacers received very bad news yesterday afternoon when they learned that George Hill and C.J. Watson would both miss multiple weeks with injuries, and that David West would also miss at least three games. Those players are all going to be key pieces for the team this year, but Indiana is confident that they have the necessary depth to continue competing without them.
Donald Sloan is now the only healthy true point guard on the roster, and these injuries are going to give him the opportunity that he has been waiting for to prove his worth.
Last season with the Pacers, Sloan played in 48 regular season games and received just one start. That will be completely different to start this year, as he will be the every game starter until either Hill or Watson returns after a couple of weeks. He has looked much improved so far in preseason action, and Frank Vogel and the organization have been impressed with what they have seen.
“What he did in the preseason gives me confidence that we are going to be all right. He played exceptional in the preseason. Showed that he can run the show and distribute, make shots, guard at an appropriate level and that’s what is going to be asked of him for at least a few games.” – Frank Vogel
Obviously the Pacers would rather not be in this situation, but they are still confident in their players’ abilities. Sloan is a very good ball-handler, and can score the ball at a fairly high level. He has improved his three-point shot this offseason, and is much better at running the offense judging off of his preseason performances.
During six preseason games this year, Sloan averaged 13.3 points and 3.8 assists per game, which are much better numbers than he averaged last year. He will likely put up very similar averages throughout the first couple weeks of the season, and will be getting more consistent minutes which will help him improve throughout the season.
At just 26 years of age, Sloan is entering the prime of his career and is finally getting his first opportunity to prove himself as a capable starting point guard. The Pacers decided to bring him back this offseason after seeing the improvements that he made to his game, and he was one of the brightest players throughout the entire preseason.
Assuming he’s able to continue knocking down his threes and that he continues moving the ball rather than pounding the dribble, he should be able to step up in a big way. The Pacers still have some good talent to surround him with on the court, which will help take some of the pressure off of his shoulders.
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All of that being said, Sloan is going to have to go up against point guards like Michael Carter-Williams, Mike Conley, Jeff Teague, John Wall, and Rajon Rondo throughout these next two weeks. Needless to say, defending against those players and holding his own offensively is not going to be easy. Having the opportunity to play against those players right off the bat will give him a chance to make a statement to the NBA and the Pacers.
When everything is said and done, this three week stretch is going to be tough. Sloan is going to be a very solid point guard option, but the Pacers will still miss having their depth and there is always a concern about whether or not they can keep things afloat with only one true point guard available.
While there are going to be concerns until all three of those players return, Sloan is confident that he can bring exactly what his team needs from him. There are always times throughout a season where players have to step up, and that is exactly what Sloan is going to do over the next couple of weeks.