When your have fourth-best point differential in the Eastern Conference (+1.2), are only 1.5 games behind of the three seed and have compiled a 10-4 record in the month of January - all in a predicted “down” year - it means a lot of things are going right.
Even in the most generous of preseason predictions, the Pacers were a bubble playoff team, where winning 35 games would be considered a success (they have already won 29 and February just started).
Indiana was able to trade one all-star for another and in the process pick up a young hybrid forward-center.