Indiana Pacers: 3 big questions heading into 2019-20

Can this team stay healthy?

Besides the fact that Victor Oladipo is trying to come back from an injury that ended Charles Barkley‘s career and functionally ended Tony Parker‘s, the Indiana Pacers have stocked their roster with guys who have struggled to stay on the floor in their NBA careers so far.

Malcolm Brogdon, in theory, is the Pacers’ point guard of the future, the 2016 Rookie of the Year well-possessed of the skill and savvy to become the best point guard Indiana’s had since Mark Jackson was distributing the ball to the likes of Reggie Miller and Rik Smits during the 1990s glory days.

In practice, Brogdon has missed 59 games in three seasons and played just 64 games last year in Milwaukee as he struggled with foot problems.

Likewise, T.J. Warren is hopefully Bojan Bogdanovic Lite, a 42.8 percent 3-point shooter in 2018-19 who can stretch the floor and hit open 3s if the defense tries to collapse on Domantis Sabonis or Evan Turner in the low post.

But Warren played just 43 games last season and has never appeared in more than 66 games as a slew of injuries has kept him off the floor during his five years in the league so far.

If either or both of those guys get hurt, especially if Aaron Holiday isn’t ready to step up in Brogdon’s place and log serious minutes with the starters, the Pacers’ season could go completely off the rails before Oladipo steps foot on the floor again.

Of course, that’s also assuming that Oladipo will be the same player when he returns from an injury that spelled doom for Hall of Famers.

Sure, Oladipo is a lot younger than Barkley or Parker were when they suffered their quad tendon tears, but an injury that saps athleticism isn’t good news for a guy who has relied on quickness so far in his career to get good looks and create shots as the primary scorer.

If everyone stays healthy, this team is deep enough for marlin fishing. If it turns into a M*A*S*H* unit and the young guys aren’t ready to play — we have so far kept this about the guards but nobody knows whether Goga Bitadze will be any good in case Turner or Sabonis get hurt — the season could go crashing downhill in Vinko Bogataj “agony of defeat” fashion.