Indiana Pacers: 3 expectations after Victor Oladipo’s injury

1. Expectations must be adjusted

So to recap, the Pacers were one of the better defensive teams in the league prior to Oladipo’s injury. They have a decent second unit that is averaging 40.3 points per contest, good enough for the ninth-best mark in the NBA.

Furthermore, Indiana’s reserves are shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and a 36.3 percent clip from 3-point range. Although Oladipo isn’t quite playing at the same level he was a season ago, the Pacers were just starting to hit their stride, as they have won 12 of their previous 15 games.

Having compiled 32 wins through their first 47 games, the Pacers are on pace to eclipse last season’s win total. Not only that, as one of the more balanced teams in the league, the Pacers appeared to be poised for a deep postseason run as well.

Needless to say, those expectations have to be tempered somewhat with Oladipo being out for the reason of the season. Yes, the Pacers should still make it to the playoffs and should finish no lower than sixth in the conference playoff race.

On the flip side of the narrative, though, Indiana looked like a team that would make some noise in the playoffs and now it would be considered an accomplishment if they managed to just make it out of the first round.