Vegas Over/Under: 31.5
The Record Projection: 30-52 of fromal The Bet: Prevent but lean under
Spoiler alert: Losing Paul George is a big thing.
According to NBA Math’s total points included (TPA) metric, the haul–if you can call it that–brought back in return couldn’t quite match his creation during the 2016-17 season. Whereas the superstar small forward finished with 150.42 TPA, Victor Oladipo (minus-58.86 TPA) and Domantas Sabonis (minus-159.61) dropped just a bit short.
Obviously, the Pacers bought into these kids for their long term potential. They ought to improve during the 2017-18 campaign, and the exact same is the case of Myles Turner, who’s a solid bet to become a first-time All-Star during the upcoming season. This roster does have some upside, especially when factoring in Cory Joseph and T.J. Leaf.
But is that sufficient to overcome the departures of both George and C.J. Miles? Probably not, which explains why a steep dropoff ought to be anticipated after the Pacers somehow exceeded expectations to finish with a 42-40 record .
These players will be learning in featured roles, and losses will occur quite frequently. But that is not a thing that is terrible. Let the up-and-comers develop, maximize the capacity of draft picks during the 2018 prospect pageant and reap the rewards down the road.
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