2016: Indiana Pacers (45-37)
2017: Indiana Pacers (42-40)
2018: 5th Eastern Conference (48-34)
The Indiana Pacers were a team on their way down when the 2017 season began. They had fired Frank Vogel in the offseason and hired his assistant in Nate McMillan. A coaching change that valued continuity but still asked for change.
That is what happens when a team feels like it is stuck.
The Pacers still had Paul George. He played his first full season after that devastating leg injury suffered with Team USA. And that star power was more than enough to keep the team afloat, playing alongside a young Myles Turner.
Indiana finished seventh two years in a row, losing in seven to the Toronto Raptors in 2016 and then taking a first-round sweep to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017.
The team was clearly still trying to hang onto contention. They filled the roster with veteran players including Monta Ellis in 2016 and Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young in 2017. So this was a good squad. But one that no one considered a title contender or able to do much of anything.
The two first-round exits saw the team take on some change.
Indiana Pacers
In the summer of 2017, the Indiana Pacers sent Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder and acquired Victor Oladipo. Victor Oladipo’s personal development and the energy of something new allowed the Pacers to take a major step forward in 2018 — although it again resulted in a first-round loss to the LeBron James-led Cavaliers.
This was a team trying to hold onto their free agent in George. Knowing they were not going to be able to keep him or progress much, they made what they thought was a rebuilding move to acquire Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
Oladipo took a big leap in his game to become an All-Star and that pushed the Pacers up the Eastern Conference ladder.
Oladipo is facing an injury this year. But when he returns and if he is healthy, the Pacers as constructed now are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. McMillan has continued a strong organizational culture that keeps the team competitive.
The Orlando Magic are not about to acquire a player on the cusp of stardom. But the team has plenty similar to these Indiana teams.
They have a young player in Aaron Gordon who could take a step up in his career and burst onto the scene. If Gordon takes a leap similar to Oladipo — Oladipo made his jump in his fifth season (his age 25 season) and Gordon is about to enter his sixth season (his age 24 season) — than Orlando could find itself jumping up in the standings.
Regardless, the depth the Pacers had with several solid veterans mirrors the Magic’s current team. The culture and ethos that Steve Clifford is building could generate similar results.