Indiana Pacers: 66-1

This.

. .this is going to get ugly.
Paul George is probably done for the year with a broken legand Stephenson is grazing in purpler pastures. Down their two best perimeter players on defense and offense, the Indiana Pacers are likely to struggle in a big way.
Frank Vogel still has Roy Hibbert at the center, and George Hill will continue to be among the NBA’s better defensive point guards. So getting stops should still be a power for Indy, but scoring will be rough.
Really rough.
Bear in mind, this team ranked 22nd in offensive efficiency this past year. Following the All-Star fracture, only the Sixers’ scoring strike was less powerful, per NBA.com. Taking away two of Indiana’s three leading scorers will make it almost impossible to get buckets at anything better than a bottom-five pace.
Perhaps Chris Copeland will stretch the floor with his shooting. Maybe Hibbert will become a bigger threat on the cube. David West could have one more big year .
But even if all three of those things come to pass, it is hard to say they will compensate for losing George and Stephenson.
And in what might be the most terrifying harbinger of an offensive catastrophe to come, Donald Sloan leads Indy in preseason points each 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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