It takes time for a child's personality to develop. The same is true for a newborn basketball team, which the Pacers are this season with their first-year head coach, two new starters and at least six new players on the roster.
Nobody knows who they are, least of all coach Nate McMillan, who has seen them everyday in practice and in six preseason games.
"Reading teams in the preseason is very difficult to do," he said Friday, following practice at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "A lot of guys, these games mean zero to them. It means more to (players fighting for spots).