How concerned should Pacers be with their slow start?

While it’s still extremely early in the marathon slog that is the NBA regular season, some patterns seem to be emerging. Teams that were great last year — like Boston and Oklahoma City — are still great. Terrible teams (Detroit, Portland, Washington) are almost definitely going to be picking high in the draft come July. And, as typical of the beginning of a new season, there is also a lot of mediocrity.

One team, however, that has been somewhat of a surprise — and not in a good way — is Indiana. The Pacers had a whirlwind season last year, finishing with the fifth-best record in the East but making it to the conference finals. While not a defensive juggernaut — they gave up 120.2 points per game, fourth worst in the league — they could shoot you out of the gym, as the kids like to say.

Last year, Indiana averaged 123.3 points per contest, which was tops in the NBA, as well as the sixth-highest scoring average of all time. In addition, the Pacers were the only team to shoot over 50% from the field. So far this season, however, there has been a remarkable turnaround. Through four games, the Pacers are averaging about 13 fewer points, and their field goal percentage has dipped substantially. So, what gives?

The most glaring issue for the Pacers is the subpar play of Tyrese Haliburton. The star guard had a fantastic 2023-2024 season, averaging 20.1 points and shooting 48% from the field. This year? He’s putting up a paltry 14 ppg, along with a ghastly field-goal percentage of 34. In their blowout loss against the Knicks — a team they defeated in the playoffs last year — Haliburton didn’t score a point. On top of that, his assists are way down.

In October (and probably November too), few players are at their best, as it usually takes some time to get going. So, it’s quite possible that these early doldrums for Haliburton and the Pacers won’t last too much longer. The team played 99 games last year (regular season and playoffs), so there could also be a lingering physical and perhaps emotional hangover.

The trouble with a slow start, however, is that it usually doesn’t take too long to get behind. While the Celtics are still the premier team in the East, the second-tier squads Indiana is chasing — Knicks, Sixers — made major moves in the offseason to get better, while the Pacers mostly stood pat. Plus, the Cavaliers and Magic seem to be using their solid seasons last year as springboards right now.

While it’s probably too soon to be worried, the Pacers would be wise to heed the words of that late great sage Yogi Berra who said “It gets late early out there.”