Indiana Pacers: What Manner Of Team Do They Want To Be?

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May 1, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) dribbles past Toronto Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll (5) in game seven of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

What Will Their Team Identity Be?

Frank Vogel is a top-notch defensive coach. His teams in Indiana have always finished above league average in defensive rating, finishing no worse than 10th and twice topping the league. The last two years have shown it isn’t merely the personnel, as the loss of Paul George last year and Roy Hibbert and David West this year didn’t kill their defense. Last season the Pacers only dipped to eighth in defensive efficiency, and this year they were third despite giving key minutes to Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey and rookie big Myles Turner.

The problems for Indiana have not been on defense, but on offense. Over the last four years, the Pacers have finished no better than 19th in offensive efficiency, including back-to-back finishes at 23rd. Only three players this season finished above average in offensive plus/minus: Paul George, George Hill and C.J. Miles.

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Coming into the year, Larry Bird communicated a new mantra to the media. The Indiana Pacers weren’t going to replace departing free agent David West, but instead were going to fill the team with wing players and slide Paul George to the power forward position. They acquired Chase Budinger, signed Monta Ellis and Glenn Robinson, and drafted potential stretch-big Myles Turner.

The Pacers began the season starting Paul George at the 4, but the results were less than stellar. They dropped three straight games to open the season, losing by an average of 13 points. Paul George struggled to score, shooting 15-for-43 and going a combined -33 in those games. By their fifth game Vogel reinstalled two bigs in the starting lineup and George began producing at All-NBA levels.

For the season, George managed to come out positive in 1,067 total minutes played at PF, with a net rating of +0.8. However, when George played at his natural small forward position — 1,700 minutes for the season — he had a +4.5 net rating, over five times as positive. His true shooting percentage was six percent higher at the 3. In short, the Indiana Pacers were a much better team with two big men on the court and Paul George playing small forward.

The problem here is that the Pacers were still a below-average offense, something Bird has been very vocal about wanting to change. It is possible Vogel’s ceiling as an offensive coach is average, and that is why management is moving on from him? Is a top-five annual defense something Bird is willing to risk in order to gain more spacing on offense? Because if that’s what he truly wants, he may have to sacrifice to see the improvement he is seeking.

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