Indiana Pacers: 66-1

This.

. .this will get ugly.
Paul George is probably done for the year with a broken leg, and Stephenson is grazing at purpler pastures. Down their two best perimeter players on offense and defense, the Indiana Pacers are going to fight in a large way.
Frank Vogel nevertheless has Roy Hibbert in the middle, and George Hill will continue to be among the NBA’s better defensive point guards. So getting stops should still be a strength for Indy, but scoring will be rough.
Really rough.
Remember, this team ranked 22nd in offensive performance this past year. Following the All-Star break, just the Sixers’ scoring strike was less potent, per NBA.com. Taking away two of Indiana’s three leading scorers is going to make it almost impossible to get buckets at anything better than a bottom-five pace.
Maybe Chris Copeland will elongate the ground with his shooting. Perhaps Hibbert will turn into a bigger threat on the block. David West might have one more big year .
But even if all three of those things come to pass, it’s difficult to say they’ll compensate for shedding George and Stephenson.
And in what may be the most frightening harbinger of an offensive tragedy to emerge, Donald Sloan leads Indy in preseason points per game and will be the starter at point guard for up to three months while Hill’s left knee mends.
Oh dear.

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