NBA Power Rankings: Preview the Los Angeles Lakers and the rest

Dearly Departed: Alize Johnson, T.J. Leaf

New Additions: Jalen Lecque, Kelan Martin, Cassius Stanley

Win Projection/Prediction: 38.5/Under

This may be controversial, but the Indiana Pacers seem primed for a slide. They were really solid last year and are hoping to be healthier and ready to get off and running with a new coach. The roster is back with very little change. So why the pessimism?

The biggest criticism for many when it came to the firing of Nate McMillan is he seemed to get the most out of his roster. The Pacers finished last season as the four seed. They were one of the more surprising winning situations of the season as they battled through injuries throughout their core. It is hard to imagine them meeting this same level of success again even if they are healthier than last year.

TJ Warren is starting the season on the mend with a plantar fascia issue and is currently listed as week to week, so his health is up in the air. Ultimately, the teams around Indiana got better while they stayed the same. They did not make a trade during the offseason even though they have been widely rumored to be testing the market on Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo.

If everyone is in place, this team is very solid but new coach Nate Bjorkgren is something of a mystery. In addition to Warren’s issues, Domantas Sabonis missed time in the seeding games with plantar fascia issues as well. Oladipo has had well-documented injury woes. It just feels like something has to give in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference.

The Pacers should be in the thick of the fight for the play-in games but expect them to be on the end that needs to win multiple games to get in.