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Indiana Pacers: 5 Things That Need To Happen To Make Small Ball Work

By Cameron Stewart

Sep 28, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; (left ro right) Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis (11), forward Paul George (13), and guard George Hill (3) pose for a photo with coach Frank Vogel during media day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; (left ro right) Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis (11), forward Paul George (13), and guard George Hill (3) pose for a photo with coach Frank Vogel during media day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel coaches from the sideline in the second half of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Indiana Pacers by the score of 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel coaches from the sideline in the second half of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Indiana Pacers by the score of 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Larry Bird, Frank Vogel must be patient.

The transition to playing small ball is going to have some rough points. There might be a few times early in the season where the Pacers are taking too many three-pointers and having problems defending the rim or rebounding. With that in mind, the Pacers must stay the course and that will be the call of Larry Bird and Frank Vogel.

Let’s be honest. This Pacers team isn’t a contender to win it all so if things aren’t looking up after the first few weeks, why give up on the new style? Ditching the small-ball lineup and inserting Jordan Hill, Myles Turner, or Lavoy Allen into the starting lineup and moving C.J. Miles to the bench wouldn’t make the team any better, just more traditional.

This team’s best case scenario with a traditional lineup is a first-round exit in the playoffs. If you’re not going to win big by playing traditional, be different.

The Pacers are better off trying their new style and embracing the small-ball movement than abandoning it if things aren’t great right away. In the East, there’s the Cavaliers and then there’s a lot of uncertainty.

If the Pacers stick with their guns and allow there to be a learning curve, they could reap the benefits of dictating mismatches and playing a different style than most of the teams they’ll likely be competing against in the Eastern Conference.

Early in the season, there will likely be games where the Pacers struggle as well as games where the benefits of their stylistic change are apparent. When things are looking south, this team is best off staying the course and committing to their new style.

Many of the players, as well as the coaching staff have never played this style before for a long period of time so there are bound to be rough patches to be learned from. If things aren’t going well, the organization from top to bottom is better off sticking with the new system.

Next: NBA: Top 10 MVP Candidates In 2015-16

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