Analyzing the 2021-22 Indiana Pacers
June 5th, 2022
By Alan Lu
After the 2021 Indiana Pacers lost to the Washington Wizards in the play-in tournament last year and were effectively eliminated from playoff contention, the Indiana Pacers fired Nate Bjorkgren, and they later hired Rick Carlisle to coach the 2021-22 NBA season. They mostly ran back the same team, but also acquired Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson from the draft.
However, their season didn’t go so well this year, and the Pacers lost a lot more games than anticipated. Despite being projected as a potential playoff team in the East this year, the Pacers wound up winning just 25 games over the course of the entire regular season, as they finished as one of the worst teams in the NBA. They did manage to get Tyrese Haliburton by acquiring him in a blockbuster, midseason trade. That combined with having a solid backcourt, and a solid starting center in Myles Turner gives them hope for next season, as they could make a run for the playoffs next year if everyone on their team can stay healthy.
Key Players:
(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today Sports, via Fansided’s 8 Points 9 Seconds)
Tyrese Haliburton
2021-22 (SAC/IND): 15.3 PPG, 8.2 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 47 FG%, 41 3PT%, 84 FT%, 59 TS%, 18.2 PER, 7.0 WS
Haliburton played very well, and he excelled as a shooter and facilitator on the court. He may not have dominated as a scorer, but he still thrived by making good sound decisions on both ends of the court for the Kings and Pacers this season.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 3 stars (3.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Starter on the Indiana Pacers
(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today Sports, via Fansided’s 8 Points, 9 Seconds)
Myles Turner
2021-22 (IND): 12.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 1.0 APG, 51 FG%, 33 3PT%, 75 FT%, 61 TS%, 17.4 PER, 3.1 WS
Myles Turner showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also thrived as a shot blocker on the defensive end, but he only played 42 games, as he ended up missing considerable time due to injury. He also hasn’t shot the three-ball as well as he used to, but he’s shown that he can be a solid supplementary scorer and interior defender when he is on the court.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 2.5 stars (3 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Starter on the Indiana Pacers
Malcolm Brogdon
2021-22 (IND): 19.1 PPG, 5.9 APG, 5.1 RPG, 45 FG%, 31 3PT%, 86 FT%, 56 TS%, 18.0 PER, 2.7 WS
He was fairly productive for the Pacers, but he only played 36 games as he wound up having an injury-plagued season. He didn’t quite shoot as well from deep, but Brogdon excelled as a scorer, facilitator, and rebounder when he was healthy.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 2.5 stars (3 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Starter on the Indiana Pacers
Buddy Hield
2021-22 (SAC/IND): 15.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 41 FG%, 37 3PT%, 87 FT%, 55 TS%, 12.9 PER, 1.9 WS
He is an athletic, skilled combo guard that can shoot and score the basketball. He didn’t quite shoot or defend as well, but he played better for the Pacers when he was acquired in a midseason trade this year.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 2.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
Other Notable Players:
Jackson didn’t get much playing time this year, but he played very well in limited minutes. He is an athletic, energetic big man that thrived at making plays in the paint on both ends of the floor.
2022 Season Grade: B-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (3 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
After having been his option declined and then traded by the Suns later on midseason, Jalen Smith’s strong play for the Pacers was a revelation. He excelled as a shooter and scorer, he was blocking shots, and he played far better than he ever did for the Suns, or for their G-League team. After having been prematurely written off as a bust, Smith is now playing better than ever for the Indiana Pacers, and the Pacers would be wise to try to keep him for next season.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (3 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
(Photo: Wendell Cruz/USA Today Sports, via Fansided’s 8 Points, 9 Seconds)
He is an agile, skilled swingman that excelled as a shooter, scorer, and facilitator for the Pacers this year, and he made the All-Rookie 2nd team as a result of his good play this past season.
2022 Season Grade: B+
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
After having played terrifically with the Pacers last year, Brissett was able to get a full season’s worth of playing time for them this season. He didn’t shoot the ball nearly as well as he did last year, but he still showed that he can play a 3 and D role for them in the NBA.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
He is an athletic, energetic swingman that played superb for the Pacers this year, and he thrived as an inside scorer, defender, and hustle player for them this season.
2022 Season Grade: A-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
He once scored 53 points against the 76ers in the Orlando bubble in 2020, but that now seems like it was a long time ago, because Warren missed the entire season due to injury this year.
2022 Season Grade: N/A
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
Rubio played for the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded as an injured player to Indiana. For Cleveland, Rubio did a very good job of distributing the basketball and defending, but he didn’t shoot the ball quite as well as hoped, and he only ended up playing 34 games before missing the rest of the year due to injury.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on an NBA team
He showcased solid playmaking and defensive skills, but McConnell didn’t shoot the ball nearly as well as he did last year, and he only played 27 games before missing the rest of the season due to injury.
2022 Season Grade: C-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
After a three-year absence away from the NBA and toiling away in other professional leagues, Stephenson made his heroic comeback to the league, and he thrived as a scorer and facilitator, mostly for the Pacers this season. He didn’t quite shoot or defend as well as he used to, but it’s still good to see Stephenson back playing in the NBA.
2022 Season Grade: B+
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on an NBA team
Other Players on the Roster:
Goga Bitadze
The former first round pick shot the ball better than he did last year, but he still didn’t rebound very well, nor defend as well as hoped, and he turned in a fairly mediocre season with the Pacers.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
He played very well for the Pacers this year, and he especially thrived as a shooter and scorer on offense. He didn’t get as many assists or defend as well, but Washington proved that he can play in the NBA.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the Indiana Pacers
Nate Hinton (Two-Way Player)
He barely played for the Pacers this year, and had a negligible impact for them, as he barely saw time on the court in the NBA this season. He played significantly better in the G-League, though, so there’s hope that maybe he could translate some of that production to the NBA next season.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe roster player on an NBA team
Gabe York (Two-Way Player)
The former sharpshooter from Arizona didn’t play very well in the NBA, and he also didn’t shoot quite as well as he did in college.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1 star (1.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe roster player on an NBA team
Head Coach:
(Photo: Dylan Buell/USA Today Sports, via Fansided’s 8 Points, 9 Seconds)
Rick Carlisle
2021-22 (IND): 25-57, 13th in the Eastern Conference
He was the former head coach of the 2011 Dallas Mavericks that won the NBA championship over a decade ago, and he took over for the Indiana Pacers this season in a bid to try to get them back to the playoffs. However, Carlisle and the Pacers were wildly disappointing this year. They won just 25 games, had a lot of players go down to injuries, and they ended up being one of the worst teams in the NBA this year. On the plus side, they showed a couple of strengths as they were a solid playmaking team that could also score, but the Pacers really struggled to shoot, defend, or rebound the basketball this year.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Head coach of the Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers’ Projected 2022-23 Rotation:
C Myles Turner
6th Overall Pick
G Chris Duarte
G Tyrese Haliburton
G Malcolm Brogdon
____________________
G Buddy Hield
F Isaiah Jackson
C Jalen Smith
F Oshae Brissett
F Terry Taylor
The Indiana Pacers’ Picks in the 2022 NBA Draft:
#6, #31, #58
The Indiana Pacers’ Projected 2023 Win-Loss Record:
34-48, 12th in the Eastern Conference
Their Projected Offseason Plan:
The Pacers are projected to have slightly under $20 million in cap space, so they could use that to spend for one solid NBA player, multiple role players to help their team, or they opt to could roll it over. They will need to draft well, and they could look to select players that would fit around the talents of Haliburton, Turner, and Brogdon, but they also need players that can shoot the ball and defend in games.
They had a very disappointing season, and a tough, competitive Eastern Conference could make it tough for them to return to the playoffs next year. On the plus side, they did get a good player back in the Sabonis trade by acquiring Tyrese Haliburton, who is a versatile, skilled combo guard that can do a little bit of everything. The Pacers have a solid core to work with for next season, and they will need to stay healthy and find players around them to help them stay competitive and make the playoff push for next year.
The team analysis of the 2021-22 Indiana Pacers was done before the 2022 NBA Draft and the start of free agency. I went to No Trade Clause and Basketball-Reference for research purposes. Thanks for reading.
