Grading the 2019 NBA offseason for all 30 franchises

Indiana Pacers

Malcolm Brogdon played a key role in the Milwaukee Bucks’ ascension to 60 wins this past season.

A pest at the defensive end, the former Rookie of the Year averaged a career-high 15.6 points per game while becoming just the eighth player in league history to surpass the 50/40/90 shooting threshold.

Assuming Victor Oladipo makes a full recovery from his previous knee injury, the two are sure to complement each other nicely in the backcourt.

Both can make plays and defend at a high level, while Brogdon allows Oladipo to move off the ball more than he ever has during his brief two-year stint with the Indiana Pacers.

Despite ranking fifth in percentage, the Pacers shot the second-fewest 3-pointers last season. Expect Jeremy Lamb, who averaged a career-best mark in points per game last season while shooting a modest 34.8 percent from beyond the arc, to help remedy that weakness.

https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1147635574494253056

The offseason was not without a couple of crucial losses for Indiana, however. Frontcourt starters Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young signed elsewhere.

While the draft-day acquisition of stretch-4 T.J. Warren is sure to mitigate the loss of Young, the Pacers will struggle to replicate the sweet-shooting and 18.0 points per game Bojan brought to the table.

The Pacers made a distinct tradeoff the summer, opting to improve their backcourt at the expense of their frontcourt, including the signings of T.J. McConnell and Justin Holiday.

Warren can slide between both forward spots while Sixth Man of the Year candidate Domantis Sabonis appears ready to assume the reigns as a starter.

In a perimeter-oriented game where creativity and outside shooting are key, it was a play that, despite the inevitable growing pains resulting from the sacrifices, will ultimately help Indiana continue its ascent.

Grade: B+