It’s hard to know how this season will end up for the Pacers. It’s harder to know what awaits this offseason.
For most of the year, everything seemed to be going according to what made sense.
The Pacers had a first-year coach in Nate Bjorkgren. They shook up the lineup by trading Victor Oladipo and bringing in Caris LeVert. And they have had countless injuries to key players — from Myles Turner to Domantas Sabonis to to T.J. Warren to now Malcolm Brogdon. Warren is out for the year and Turner may be, too.
But suddenly, there is drama, and lots of it. And if not lots, then too much for a team that is fighting to taste the postseason.
“We’re in a frustrating stretch here, a lot going on with the challenges of navigating through the season,” Bjorkgren said after an unsightly home loss to the Kings.
Along with losing the game, the Pacers lost an assistant coach in Greg Foster, who was suspended for one game for an on-court exchange with center Goga Bitadze. (Bitadze received a fine.)
And while reports say friction exists between not only Bjorkgren and his players, but also Bjorkgren and his staff, the Pacers are trying to put a positive spin on things.
One thing they do know is winning tends to cure all.
“We still have a chance,” veteran guard/forward Justin Holiday told reporters. “That’s the good thing about it. We’re a team, top to bottom.”
Bjorkgren admitted he still has some “growing” and “learning” to do in his first year as an NBA head coach. But he added he still believes in good things.
“We’ve got to stick together and keep fighting for each other,” he said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep the guys together and keep coaching and get them ready for the next one.”
The Pacers (30-35) sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Hawks. This will mark the first time in 32 years they’ve failed to finish with a winning record at home.
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