Pacers Have Been Fully Replaced in East Hierarchy, Expert Claims

Courtney Tate | 4 Hours Ago

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The recipe for success for both the Atlanta Hawks this season and the Indiana Pacers last season is almost identical, with the Hawks looking like the “new Pacers” this year.

The Hawks found themselves turning things around with a chance to compete in the semi-finals of the 2024 NBA Cup game against the Milwaukee Bucks.  Although Atlanta came up short in the semi-final matchup, they were coming off a strong seven consecutive win streak, having beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA’s team with the best record so far this season.  

This season, Trae Young continues to emerge as an NBA star putting up 21 points, 12.2 asssits, and 3.9 rebounds per game.  He’s been displaying strong shooting efficiency with a field goal percentage of 38.4% and a three-point percentage of 30.8%.

Young has also had a few standout performances already this season posting 21 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers,  31 points against the Los Angeles Lakers,  and 22 points in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 NBA Cup against the New York Knicks.

His clutch playmaking ability gave them the winning edge over the Knicks, and he’s shown signs of being able to lead this team to more success as the season continues. 

That said, the team fans watched in the quarterfinal round of the NBA Cup closely mimicked the Pacers team that too made it to the Final Four of last season’s NBA Cup. 

Under the floor leadership of Tyrese Halliburton and featuring a strong supportive cast, the Pacers were able to turn things around building on the momentum they created in the NBA Cup. Haliburton played some of his best basketball during last season’s NBA Cup, including a notable performance against the Milwaukee Bucks scoring 27 points and recording 15 assists.

The comparison between Haliburton’s in-season tournament performance and Trae Young’s campaign during this year’s tournament is easily comparable. Both point guards have been able to control the flow of the game while also being a huge scoring threat offensively. 

The two team’s supporting cast during both in-season tournaments are also easily comparable. Last season, the Pacers had huge performances from supporting cast members like Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. Turner contributed 22 points and 12 rebounds in that huge win against the Bucks to send them to the semi-final matchup. 

The Hawks too had two supporting cast members with standout performances helping give Atlanta the winning edge sending them on flight to Las Vegas. Jalen Johnson finished the quarterfinal matchup with 21 points and 15 rebounds while De’Andre Hunter was a huge contributor on both ends of the floor. 

Both teams took a loss in the semi-final round of the in-season tournament, but maybe the Hawks will continue building on the winning momentum they’ve been building on recently. 

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