Pacers return to preseason action tonight v. Pistons

The Indiana Pacers are back in action this Tuesday evening after they travelling to The Palace to take on the Detroit Pistons in preseason action.

After hosting the New Orleans Pelicans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in a 110-105 loss, the Pacers return to the floor this evening in Detroit against the Pistons.

Yesterday, I wrote on how we all need to be on the same page about Paul George. Frankly, his comments after the New Orleans came off as slightly annoyed and were somewhat worrying. He mentioned being “more comfortable” in a traditional role and that he wasn’t the only one uneasy about the new system. Not great.

However, yesterday George spoke with the media and conveyed that he received “clarification” from Larry Bird and Frank Vogel on his new role within the squad, now seemingly on board the “small ball” train. Well, tonight the fans get another look at this new line-up, and so does George.

It’s likely that George (6’9, 215 lbs) will be matched up against Ersan Ilyasova (6’10, 235) at the PF spot. That doesn’t seem like an ideal matchup. However, when you consider that Marcus Morris is at the SF spot and stands at 6’9, 235, it doesn’t seem like much of a difference.

It is strange, though, to see a Pacers team that is more comfortable on offense than defense in the Vogel regime. In the past, Indiana has always carried a “defense-first” mentality, but with the new small ball change it looks like the Pacers will be flying up and down the floor taking three-pointer after three-pointer while then trying to defend with the same tenacity and aggressiveness as the years prior – not an easy task.

Oct 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward

Myles Turner

(33) slam dunks the ball while New Orleans Pelicans forward

Jeff Adrien

(4) fouls him in the second half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pelicans beat the Pacers, 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Another player fans are looking forward to seeing tonight is rookie Myles Turner. Despite being called the “best shooter on the team” by Larry Bird, Turner didn’t make a single basket in five attempts against New Orleans and looked increasingly frustrated with the physicality of the game. Tonight is another chance to see the Texas alum show us stuff, though will meet another rising star in DeAndre Drummond.

As an added bonus, George and the gang get to play against former teammate Danny Granger for the first time in a Pistons uniform. Granger was drafted by the Pacers in 2005 and was a part of the team until 2014 mid-season. George and Granger have a very brotherly relationship, but now get to face each other again as both opponents and friends.

All in all, almost everyone played equal minutes against New Orleans and the game plan will likely be the same tonight. Four out of the five starters played around 20 minutes (Miles only played 10), and Solomon Hill and Joe Young were the only bench players to reach the 20 min. mark but everyone saw the floor except the injured Chase Budinger and I expect much of the same.

The Pacers tip-off against the Pistons at 7:30 pm ET.

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