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Pacers Mailbag: Your Questions Answered Here

By Andrew Turpen

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With the 2015 NBA season starting this week, let’s look at some of the questions that you have submitted regarding the 2015 Indiana Pacers upcoming season.

From Jeff in Knightstown, Indiana: “With the offense becoming quicker, what do you expect for the defense? Will defense play zone, swarm, perimeter or other combo? Will the Pacers be better at defending breakaways?”

The offense is certainly much quicker than it has been in years past. As a result, the defense will suffer to a degree. I don’t expect a major drop-off on the defensive side of the ball for the Pacers, but I also don’t expect many low-scoring games like we’ve seen in years past. The Pacers are going to put up a lot of points this year, in doing so they’ll also surrender a few more. It’s hard to say exactly how Frank Vogel will choose to defend against opponents with his new team, but I expect to see a variety of defensive schemes that vary from game to game. Since Indiana has gained a substantial amount of speed, I fully expect the Pacers to cover breakaways much better than they have in years past.

From Evan in Cleveland, Ohio: “How do the Pacers stack up against the Cavs? Who on the [Pacers] should I know about?”

To be perfectly honest, I’m really not sure how Indiana will fair against LeBron James‘ Cavs this season. The stifling defenses of Pacers teams past have proven somewhat successful against LeBron-lead squads, even last season. Indiana should be able to keep up with Cleveland for the most part on the offensive end, but beating the Cavs will take a combined effort on offense and defense, as it always has.

As for noteworthy Pacers players, definitely look into Paul George at the very least. After missing all but six games last season with a broken leg, George played phenomenally during the preseason – arguably better than he’s played in the past. Apart from Paul, George Hill had a standout year last season and is one of the NBA’s most underrated players. In the years to come, keep an eye on Myles Turner – Indiana’s first-round draft pick. He’s a long center with an impressive jump shot, not to mention Turner is only 19 years old.

From Eric in Batesville, Indiana: “How are individuals in the Pacers organization giving back to the community?”

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One of my favorite things about the Indiana Pacers franchise is the work that the players and staff put in off the court. The organization is teamed up with many charities and community organizations in Indianapolis and around the state of Indiana. For example, last December the Pacers teamed with Simon Malls to provide families with dinner and a shopping spree for the holiday season.

Another popular event the Pacers put on is the “Come to Our House” dinner at the Fieldhouse where coaches and players serve a Thanksgiving meal to men, women, and children from local shelters.

From Dave in Avon Indiana: “How will Paul George fit at the power forward position this season?”

This is probably the question most Pacers fans and followers have on their minds. While George was reluctant to play at the four before preseason, he actually played quite well from that spot when he had the opportunity.

The common consensus is that George will only play power forward when he has a clear advantage on offense but isn’t a liability on defense. For example, Frank Vogel will likely choose to keep George at the small forward position when playing teams with a physical power forward (i.e. Zach Randolph), but play Paul at power forward against squads with leaner, less physical power forwards (i.e. Carmelo Anthony & Tristan Thompson).

I recently wrote about how George stacks up with other power forwards in the Eastern Conference, you can check that out here.

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