Indiana Pacers: Comparing the team before and after the Paul George trade

The Indiana Pacers were supposed to become bottom-feeders after the Paul George trade. To this point in the season, that simply hasn’t happened.

The Indiana Pacers came into the 2017-18 season with very low expectations. They traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder over the summer, or as most observers saw it, they gave him away.

With their only All-Star gone and a roster full of also-rans, Indiana looked to be headed for the cellar and the NBA Draft Lottery — the rebuild seemed to be in full swing, and perhaps in a few years the Pacers might become relevant again.

What has actually transpired in the team’s first 18 games has been, well, very unexpected. This Indiana club has jelled quickly and while it is still early, the naysayers are busy backtracking on their doom and gloom predictions for the Blue and Gold.

The changes last summer were massive (there are 10 new faces on this season’s roster) and the results have been very encouraging as we approach the quarter point of the regular season.

Let’s take a look at how the 2016-17 and 2017-18 versions of the Indiana Pacers compare statistically, and attempt to discover how and why this year’s club is finding unforeseen success.

Through 18 games last year, Indiana had a 9-9 record (8-4 at home, 1-5 on the road). During the current campaign, the Pacers have posted a 10-8 mark, which includes only seven home games (4-3). The team has a very solid 6-5 road record thus far.

Indiana’s point differential has improved this year; the team is at +1.6 points per game as compared to last season’s tally of -0.2. The Simple Rating System metric, which takes point differential and strength of schedule into account, also indicates improvement.

The Pacers have an SRS number of 1.10, which places them 13th in the league. The 2016-17 club was ranked 19th in the NBA with a value of -0.64.

Indiana is playing faster this year, ranking ninth in the league in pace (99.3). The previous year’s campaign saw the team post a pace value of 95.9, which was 18th in the NBA.

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For the past 2-3 years, the Pacers have talked a lot about wanting to score more points and play at a higher tempo, but those things did not actually materialize until the 2017-18 campaign arrived.

The Pacers’ improved Offensive Rating has been coupled with a small bump in defensive performance — a terrific combination considering that most teams are not able to concurrently upgrade both their offense and defense.

Indiana’s Offensive Rating of 109.6 is good for sixth in the NBA (up from 15th last year, per Basketball-Reference), while the squad’s Defensive Rating has progressed slightly since last season, going from 108.8 to 108.1 (20th).

It’s clear that this “less talented” Pacers team is better so far (virtually across the board) than last season’s squad, although it should be mentioned that the 2017-18 campaign is young and much can happen over the last 64 regular season contests.

Other than the obvious success of players like Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, what factors have contributed to Indiana’s early emergence this season?

One of those ingredients has been a more diversified offense. In previous years, the team had a tendency to rely on Paul George (perhaps too much). Now, the offense is much more balanced.

Another offshoot of the equal opportunity offensive approach is ball movement. Rather than have four guys standing around watching Paul George go one-on-one, the team is now running motion and the pick-and-roll with more regularity, which has helped increase their efficiency and pace.

In terms of defense, the Pacers got off to a rather slow start, but as the players have gotten to know one another better on the court, the team’s defensive performance has continued to improve through the first 18 games.

This new-look Indiana squad also has a refreshed, energetic and enthusiastic attitude, which was often not the case in recent years. Much can be said for good locker room chemistry and having a group that is on the same page on and off the floor.

Next: 2017-18 Week 6 NBA Power Rankings

The jury is still out on just how good this Pacers team is or can be, but there appear to be many signs that indicate the club’s solid start is not a fluke.