Why the Indiana Pacers Will Make the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Image Credit: Sports Illustrated

The Indiana Pacers finished the 22-23 season as the eleventh seed in the eastern conference, finishing with a record of 35-47. This is roughly what many people expected out of the Pacers as they did not have too much talent surrounding Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana, however, had a much better season last year than their record shows. On Jan. 11, Tyrese Haliburton injured his knee which caused him to be out for almost a month. Before Haliburton went down with the injury the Pacers had a record of 23-18 and were the sixth seed in the eastern conference. The Pacers were playing winning basketball led by most of the young guys including Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. After Halliburton's injury the Pacers proceeded to lose the next seven games as well as sixteen of their next eighteen games. Haliburton’s absence was obviously a big part of the losing streak, and they were unable to recover once he came back from injury.

The Pacers will now be coming into the 23-24 season fresh and with a lot to prove. The Pacers also had a very proactive offseason including the signing of Bruce Brown, the drafting of Jarace Walker, and the trade for Obi Toppin. These additions are going to have an immediate impact for the Pacers and will likely mean more wins for the squad. The Pacers still have their young core intact and with the addition of some veterans and more young pieces the Pacers should improve on their successes from last season. Buddy Hield and Myles Turner are also valuable veterans who will consistently provide you with quality minutes. All together this Pacer team is extremely underrated, and is going to surprise many this season.