Indiana Pacers: A growing thorn in the side of the Eastern Conference

They might not realistically compete for a championship, but that won’t stop the Indiana Pacers from playing spoiler for whoever stands in their way.

In a conference that’s quickly developed surprisingly competitive fervor, it’s easy to watch the Indiana Pacers fall through the cracks of the general subconscious without the star power to draw them in.

Milwaukee houses the reigning two-time MVP and Miami the leader of the reigning Eastern Conference champions. Jayson Tatum’s ascension has been rapid in taking the reigns of the Celtics. The Raptors still bask in the glow of the last championship run to take place in an NBA arena while the 76ers remain steadfast in making the workings of their young dynamic duo a successful one. And who could forget the spotlight drawn to Brooklyn with the return of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving?

Then there are the Pacers, not devoid of All-Star talent, having been represented in the mid-season festivities in each of the last three seasons. Those players simply haven’t been the type to enter the conversation for MVP or anything higher than the All-NBA Third Team. That distinction is everything when thinking title, which is why Indy has never let its dreams get too big.

Nothing’s changed in that regard for the Pacers from last year to the new one. Though likely to extend the fifth-longest current playoff streak in the NBA, they are devoid of the starting point to enter any championship conversation.

But what Indiana has lacked at the top of its roster is made up in how the franchise has quietly yet impactfully filled out all the rest. Though unlikely to shake up the group of contenders, this years-long process might finally be ready to alter the outlook of the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers are one of just three teams to have gone undefeated through three games of the new season. Though two of those wins have come against the lowly Knicks and Bulls before a persuasive one-point win over the Celtics, Indiana has looked mighty convincing in execution at both ends.

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Roughly a week’s worth of games has the Pacers sitting ninth in offensive efficiency and sixth at the defensive end. This has always been a sound point-stopping unit — sixth in defense last year — but new head coach Nate Bjorkgren has invigorated a once lifeless scoring attack by recognizing all the attractive pieces he has to work with.

Three Pacers have put in north of 20 points a night to begin the season. Leading the way is Domantas Sabonis, the best big you don’t know about. Indiana’s most recent All-Star blends brute interior strength with soft playmaking skills that have him also leading his team in rebounds (11.0) and assists (7.0) per game.

Malcolm Brogdon was never more than a complementary piece with the Bucks, which only made president Kevin Pritchard’s necessary overpay to pry the restricted free agent from Milwaukee all the riskier.

The signing has been a win-win as Brogdon has found ways to thrive with the ball in his hands more than ever. Even while averaging 21.3 points, the former Rookie of the Year has still found a way to shoot 54.0 percent from the field while also contributing 6.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds a game.

Last among the 20-point trio is the question that could define Indiana’s ceiling. Victor Oladipo is the last Pacer to make an All-NBA Team in 2018, but a ruptured quad and the subsequent rehab have created a long road to recovery that has rarely looked pretty.

He’s put in 22.0 points a night in the two games he’s played in on an absurd efficiency line of .654/.700/.750. It’s hard to imagine any of those numbers holding up over a 72-game season. How far the inevitable drop-off falls will determine what Indiana can except from the man once tasked with leading a new era for the Pacers organization.

While these gaudy early-season numbers appear outliers significantly driven by favorable matchups, recent history indicates a high level of staying power.

We’ve witnessed Oladipo play at an All-Star level as recently as the early weeks of 2019. Brogdon is coming off a career-best season right in his prime at 28 years of age. Only the Greek Freak matched the numbers produced by Sabonis last season.

There’s precedence to believe some semblance of these hot starts will last throughout the season, only drawing more intrigue to the Hoosier State.

T.J. Warren is an interchangeable scoring combo forward who has shown us the best of what his abilities can offer. Though his 3-point stroke remains out of sight — 1-of-12 so far — Myles Turner has made sure to stay engaged defensively with 17 blocked shots through three games. Chris Boucher is No. 2 on the list with nine.

Doug McDermott is a deadly 3-point shooter who Bjorkgren has in constant motion to cause chaos within opposing defenses. Both Justin and Aaron Holiday are valued bench contributors, as is T.J. McConnell.

All these pieces are part of a humming two-way attack. Just wait until Bjorkgren gets more time to further imprint a style on his new team that’s helped win championships at the G League and NBA level.

Good but not great has been an appropriate synopsis for Indiana in recent years without a postseason series victory to show for all their consistency. They haven’t even won a game since challenging LeBron James in a seven-game first-round series back in 2018.

Maybe that’s how it’s likely always to be for a franchise without the cache to swiftly change their fortunes with a blockbuster free-agent signing. And maybe that’s not going to be worth much down the line when it seems like the value you’re allowed to derive from a team can only come with the trophies, banners and rings to validate it.

Such hard truths would have several teams considering a teardown. But like most small-market organizations, Indiana sees value in seeing potential to the end, no matter how underwhelming that finish line might look relative to the gold standard of success in sports.

Though they might be doubtful for a championship run this season, that culture and the pieces it’s put in place has the Pacers primed to spoil someone else’s.