Under Frank Vogel, the Indiana Pacers have had an exceptional defense. The scheme has typically been very vanilla, predicated around sound positioning, forcing teams into low-quality shots, and funneling any and all rim attacks into a rim-protecting, often-verticality-proficient center.
Pacers fans who are used to this kind of defense — big, long guards, sound, safe play on the perimeter — have some justified concern about the team’s current (projected) starting lineup for 2016-17 of Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thad Young, and Myles Turner.
Everyone outside of PG is generally small for their position — either in weight, height, or both —and the bulk of this unit has not been heralded as “good” defenders.