ESPN lists Pacers as 21st ranked team after offseason moves

The Pacers got better in the offseason, but so did other teams

ESPN released their updated NBA power rankings earlier this week that reflect the state of the league after offseason moves, and the Indiana Pacers are ranked in the bottom 10 in the NBA.

Last season, the Pacers finished with a 35-47 record, which was tied for the eighth-worst mark in the league. At their best, they were in the play-in range in the Eastern Conference, and they wrapped up last season with a 26-22 record in games that Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton both played.

In the offseason, they made several moves to improve their team in both the short and long term. During the draft, they added Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard in the first round. Walker should get minutes this season and help the team on defense while Sheppard will be a project on the wing. Sheppard shot the ball well from deep during Summer League play.

In free agency, they were active. They used their $30+ million in salary cap space to fill some of their needs, bringing in Bruce Brown on the wing and Obi Toppin at forward. There is a chance that both players start for the blue and gold to open the season, and they will be improvements over last year's options at their positions.

On top of their additions, the younger Pacers should have some internal growth in 2023-24. Between Haliburton, Turner, Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, and some young big men, there are many candidates for natural improvement on the roster.

The additions, growth potential, and draft picks indicate that the Pacers should be a better team compared to the one they were last season. General Manager Chad Buchanan noted on a Summer League broadcast that the team is looking to be a 40+ win group this coming season.

The Pacers were specifically placed at the 21st spot in ESPN's rankings, the bottom 10 of the league. They were ninth among rosters in the Eastern Conference.

Indiana should improve this year, as Buchanan hopes. The question is how much. They won a lot of close games last year — going 25-23 in the clutch. They will need to sustain that and improve on defense if they want to take a step forward and pass other teams in the standings.

Another challenge of improving is that many other teams in the league tried to get better this offseason. At least 25 of the 30 NBA teams will hope to build on their win total, and that alone will make every win more difficult to get. The Pacers did get better, and they added one of the best free agents who changed teams this summer in Brown. But significant improvement will require a lot to go right.

Still, they should be better than the 21st best team in the NBA, and they hope to finish a fair amount better than that. The team is angling for a postseason berth. After an active offseason, they've got a shot.

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