Indiana Pacers (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
To say that the Indiana Pacers underachieved last season verges on understatement. In the recently concluded campaign, the team finished 34-38, a losing record which was still enough to hoist them to the play-in tournament, where they eventually succumbed to the Wizards and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Entering next season, the Pacers are expected to be back in the thick of the playoff race out East after a one-year sabbatical. With a new head coach in Rick Carlisle at the helm, a potent starting five headed by All-Star Domantas Sabonis, among other fringe stars, a well-rounded bench, and a lottery selection in the upcoming draft, missing the summer festivities next April and failing to win in the postseason would be a nightmare scenario.