The Indiana Pacers made it to the NBA’s Play-In Tournament last season, but ultimately came up short against the Washington Wizards.
The loss resulted in Indiana missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
The Pacers sport an intriguing roster of returning players in Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and TJ Warren.
But there’s no superstar in the mix.
The brass in Indiana opted to maintain roster continuity for the most part, losing Aaron Holiday and Doug McDermott but re-signing T.J. McConnell.
They added Chris Duarte with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and landed Isaiah Jackson in the complicated five-team trade that saw Russell Westbrook go to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Indiana envisions a return to the playoffs for 2022, and here are three reasons it can happen.
3. Rick Carlisle Rights The Ship
Last season, first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren struggled to connect with his star players.
Despite injury troubles, the team slipped in the standings and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
So the team ditched Bjorkgren after the season’s failings and brought back former Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle to take the reins.
Sources: The Pacers are hiring Rick Carlisle as head coach. He will sign a 4-year, $29 million contract.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 24, 2021
Carlisle’s long track record in the league indicates Indiana is in win-now mode.
Pacers President of Basketball Operations, Kevin Pritchard, said as much after the hire.
“We’re in a win-now mode, we’re trying to win and so we identified some traits or characteristics we wanted in a coach,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard cited Carlisle’s championship pedigree as a driving force behind the reunion.
Bjorkgren’s failure to connect with the roster paved the way for his dismissal.
Carlisle, meanwhile, returns to Indiana after 13 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.
Although he won the title in 2011, Carlisle’s teams did not advance past the first round of the playoffs after that.
His return to Indiana should galvanize a roster that’s ready for the postseason, though.
2. Pacers Get Full Seasons From Sabonis, Turner, and Warren
The Pacers suffered a number of difficult injuries last season.
Their lone All-Star, Sabonis, is yet to play a full season with Indiana.
Despite being able to post double-double averages in each of the last two seasons, Sabonis has missed crucial stretches of time that have ultimately hurt the Pacers in the standings.
Turner, the team’s defensive anchor, also missed time last season.
Turner has led the NBA in blocks twice, but last season’s 3.4 blocks per game average stands as a career-high.
Turner only played in 47 games, though.
T.J. Warren missed all but four games last season.
One of Indiana’s top scoring options, Warren must return full heathy for the Pacers to make a real run at the playoffs next season.
1. LeVert Takes The Next Step
Indiana acquired LeVert in the trade with the Rockets that sent Victor Oladipo to Houston.
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard flashed frontline potential before, and thankfully after, a cancer scare last season.
LeVert returned to the lineup and posted averages of 20.7 points, 4.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game over 35 games with the Pacers.
His ability to attack the basket brings a much-needed dimension to Indiana’s offense.
SO CRAFTY!!
HBD @CarisLeVertpic.twitter.com/NOnhi2t65S— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 25, 2021
But with a full offseason of recovery and development, and under the tutelage of Carlisle, LeVert seems poised to take the next step in his career.
His numbers indicate he’s on the cusp of All-Stardom.
And if he can ascend to that level, Indiana will fight for a top-6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
LeVert will help bring along first-round draft pick Duarte, who averaged 18.3 points while making 48.3 percent of three-point attempts.
NEXT: Why Rick Carlisle Is The Right Choice To Coach Pacers