The Indiana Pacers Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Indiana Pacers to win the Central Division: +10000
Indiana Pacers to win the Eastern Conference: +6600
Indiana Pacers to win the NBA Championship: +50000
Indiana Pacers Total Win Prediction: Total 31.5 (Over -125, Under -105)
The Indiana Pacers recorded 42 wins in 2016/17 and finished in the 7th position in the East, thanks to the fantastic form in the last five matches, winning all of them to clinch the playoffs. However, the defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers got in their way and swept them in the opening round, but the Pacers were close to snatching a victory or two. All four matches were quite tight and entertaining, and Indiana lost all of them by six points or less, which was heartbreaking for Larry Bird and the players.
This offseason was very turbulent for the Pacers, and they don’t look like the same team anymore following departures of Paul George, Jeff Teague, C.J. Miles, and Monta Ellis, who all left Indiana during the summer. The Pacers did bring Victor Oladipo and Bojan Bogdanovic who can become important players in Indy, but the fact is that the team looks much weaker than in 2016/17, and reaching the playoffs would be a miracle for them.
Read onto find out more about the Indiana Pacers offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Indiana Pacers Roster
Arrivals: T.J. Leaf, Ike Anigbogu, Edmond Sumner, Bojan Bogdanovic, Darren Collison, Cory Joseph, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis.
Departures: Rakeem Christmas, Paul George, Monta Ellis, C.J. Miles, George Niang, Kevin Seraphin, Jeff Teague, Lavoy Allen, Aaron Brooks.
The Indiana Pacers selected T.J. Leaf with the 18th pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the power forward will take his place behind Thaddeus Young and Domantas Sabonis as the third option at the PF position. Leaf played only one season at the college, representing the UCLA Bruins in 2016/17, averaging 16.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, and 1.1 bpg in 29.9 mpg, earning the First-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Freshman team honors. The 20-year-old has a lot of potential, and the Pacers don’t have to worry about power forward this year because they got that spot covered and filled with talent. Another rookie who joined from the UCLA is the center Ike Anigbogu, and the 18-year-old also spent just one season in college basketball. The Pacers selected him with the 47th pick overall, but I don’t expect him to play a significant role in his rookie season as both Myles Turner and Al Jefferson are well ahead of him in the pecking order. Edmond Sumner signed a two-way contract with Indiana and their G-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and the 21-year-old point guard will likely spend the 2017/18 playing in the development league.
Bojan Bogdanovic joined the Pacers after his contract with the Washington Wizards ended, but he cannot replace Paul George, who left for Oklahoma. Bogdanovic had a solid third season in the NBA, averaging 13.7 ppg and 3.4 rpg for the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards and he is going to be a clear No. 1 option at the small forward position ahead of Glenn Robinson III. Although was a starter in Brooklyn, Bojan didn’t record a single start in Washington, and now has an opportunity to impress and play around 30 minutes per contest. Darren Collison returned to Indiana following his three-year stint with the Sacramento Kings, where he had solid displays, and in 2016/17, averaged 13.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.2 rpg, and 1.0 spg in 30.3 mpg. The 30-year-old point guards spent the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons with the Pacers, and he returns to be the starting PG ahead of Cory Joseph and Joe Young. Giving that Indiana had Paul George and Jeff Teague at the SF and PG spots, and now have to deal with Bojan and Collison, I believe they will struggle this season.
Cory Joseph came in a trade with the Toronto Raptors, who received the draft rights of Emir Preldzic in return. The 26-year-old point guard had the season of his career in 2016/17, averaging 9.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, and 2.9 rpg (all career highs) in 25.0 mpg, and should be a good backup option to Collison at the point. I wouldn’t be surprised if the head coach Nate McMillan decides to split minutes between the two and give a chance to Joseph to make an impact. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis were part of the deal that saw Paul George going to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sabonis played for the Thunder in his rookie season, averaging 5.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 20.1 mpg, but the 21-year-old power forward has potential to become a solid NBA player. He is listed as the No. 2 option at the PF position behind Thad Young, who is an evident starter. Oladipo spent only one year with the Thunder and had a decent campaign, averaging 15.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, and 1.2 spg in 33.2 mpg. Victor was the team’s second top scorer behind the MVP Russell Westbrook, and the 25-year-old shooting guard is expected to have a great 2017/18, as he is going to be a leader of this Pacers team. Oladipo is the starter at the SG spot ahead of Lance Stephenson and Damien Wilkins, and I believe he can average around 20 points per contest this year.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Darren Collison | Victor Oladipo | Bojan Bogdanovic | Thaddeus Young | Myles Turner |
| Cory Joseph | Lance Stephenson | Glenn Robinson III | Domantas Sabonis | Al Jefferson |
| Joe Young | Damien Wilkins | T.J. Leaf | Ike Anigbogu | |
Rakeem Christmas and Georges Niang were waived by the Pacers after failing to make an impression in 2016/17 and Indiana will not miss them at all. Kevin Seraphin did leave a better impression, averaging 4.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg in 11.4 mpg, but nonetheless, Indiana waived him too, but the Spanish side Barcelona signed the Frenchman on a two-year deal this August. Monta Ellis was also waived after spending the previous two years with the Pacers, but since his arrival to Indy, it was obvious that Ellis will never be the players he was at the end of the last and beginning of this decade. The 31-year-old shooting guard averaged 8.5 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.8 rpg, and 1.1 spg in 27.0 mpg, which is not good enough for the player of his caliber. Monta is currently a free agent and is looking for a new team.
Lavoy Allen had another disappointing season in 2016/17, averaging just 2.9 ppg (career low) and 3.6 rpg in 14.3 mpg, so it was clear there is no space for him on this roster, and he became an unrestricted free agent after three and a half years in Indiana. Aaron Brooks is another unrestricted free agent, and like Allen, he also had a horrific last season, so the current options at the PG position are looking much better for the Pacers than the former Houston Rocket. C.J. Miles spent relatively solid three years in Indianapolis, but his career with the Pacers will be remembered for his miss in the final seconds of the opening playoff game against the Cavs. Miles could win that match for the Pacers and make things interesting, but instead, Cleveland swept the series. The 30-year-old small forward averaged 10.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 23.4 mpg and will continue his career with the Toronto Raptors.
The Pacers two biggest losses of the offseason are surely Paul George and Jeff Teague. PG 13 moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder following his seven-year stay in Indiana, and the small forward joined Russell Westbrook to try to win the NBA ring, which isn’t realistic with the Pacers. The four-time All-Star averaged 23.7 ppg (career high), 6.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, and 1.6 spg in 35.9 mpg, and Indiana will struggle for years before finding another player of George’s quality to lead them. Jeff Teague spent only one season with the Pacers, but played in all 82 matches (all starts) and averaged career highs in assists (7.8) and rebounds (4.0). The former Atlanta Hawks point guard averaged 15.3 points per contest, and although Darren Collison can replace him to a certain extent, Teague’s decision to leave for Minnesota hit the fans pretty badly.
Indiana’s starting lineup doesn’t look bad at all, but the problem is the second unit and the small forward position, where alongside Bogdanovic, who is not a top player, they have only Glenn Robinson III, who doesn’t possess enough quality. The season is long, and with this contingent of players, I doubt the Pacers will even get close to the playoffs.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
The Pacers are evidently weaker than in 2016/17 as they lost a couple of All-Star players this offseason and I seriously don’t believe they are strong enough to make the playoff push. Last year’s 42 victories sound like a fiction for them this time around, and BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of seasons wins at 31.5, so I would like to exploit this opportunity and go with under on this one.
Season total wins: 31.5 Under (-105)
