Nate Taylor

nate.taylor@indystar.com

INDIANAPOLIS – After the offseason trades, the free agent signings and the Olympics, the Indiana Pacers will begin a new season Monday with the team’s annual media day.

The Pacers have a new coach (Nate McMillian), a new point guard (Jeff Teague) and a new power forward (Thaddeus Young) to accommodate Paul George’s wishes of staying at the small forward position. The message from team President Larry Bird is clear: He wants these Pacers to play faster and average at least 105 points per game.

Bird, after two years of reconstructing the roster, appears to have the players who can accomplish his mission of contending in the Eastern Conference. Before the season starts, though, there should be plenty of subplots during training camp and preseason. Those subplots should help explain how the Pacers will prepare themselves for the regular season, which starts Oct. 26.

Here are eight topics that should be intriguing before the Pacers’ season opener:

Paul George’s future

After winning the gold medal at the Olympics, George said he finished his redemption story, the two-year odyssey of his return from the compound fracture he sustained in his right leg to reclaim star status in the NBA. Next for George appears to be his long-term future in regard to his next contract. Bird is ready to give George a max contract, and a primary goal for the Pacers is making sure that happens.

George could give an indication Monday of what his thoughts are on his next contract. During the offseason, he has mentioned how pleased he is with Bird’s moves to build a stronger roster. If George stays in Indiana, he would make the most money available to him under the collective bargaining agreement.

Where will Monta Ellis fit in?

With the arrival of Teague, Ellis will no longer be expected to handle the ball as much as he did last year. Ellis should be productive in his natural shooting guard position, but it would be logical to think his scoring opportunities would be more limited in the starting lineup with Teague, George and Myles Turner.

Ellis could be the Pacers' sixth man off the bench if C.J. Miles starts, but neither McMillan nor Bird mentioned that possibility in the offseason. It’s expected that McMillan will see how Ellis plays next to Teague before deciding if he needs more scoring in the second unit given Ellis can create his own shot when the shot clock is dwindling.

Do the Pacers have enough shooting?

We’ll find out soon enough, but that has been the area most analysts are concerned with when they look at the roster. Sure, George and Miles are consistent shooters, but Ellis proved to be streaky last season behind the arc. Teague’s shooting in Atlanta was affected last year by his right knee injury. The Pacers will be successful if they can shoot above the league average this season. It’s a big if. Bird, though, is not too worried.

“I know Monta and Stuckey are not looked upon as 3-point shooters,” Bird said Wednesday. “C.J. Miles can get hot from there. Joe Young can shoot the lights out when he gets going. Even Glenn Robinson III has really improved from the 3-point line this summer. Thaddeus Young can make 3s; he’s proven it in practice. Aaron Brooks can make 3s and Jeff Teague shoots it pretty well. I’m not really concerned that much.”

Myles Turner’s development

Remember what Turner did in the playoffs last year? He averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and recorded 23 blocks, which set a franchise record for a playoff series. Then he went to the USA Basketball camp to compete and learn from the national team as a member of the USA Select team. Has Turner improved as he is set to begin his sophomore season? Everyone, including Bird, says yes.

“Myles is going to be spectacular this year,” Bird said. “He’s making a major leap. He’s going to have some games where he’s not as good as others, but overall he’s going to be a lot better player.”

Who will be Thaddeus Young’s backup?

In looking at the Pacers’ initial depth chart, some positions have a defined hierarchy. Brooks will be Teague’s backup. Al Jefferson will be Turner’s backup. But the backup power forward position seems to be the most unclear. Lavoy Allen, a steady veteran, could be the first reserve off the bench to replace Young. But if the Pacers want to play faster, Rakeem Christmas or Kevin Seraphin would be better options. And what about a stretch-4 off the bench? That might be rookie Georges Niang.

Will the Pacers miss Frank Vogel?

Vogel encouraged the Pacers during his tenure and helped develop players such as George, Ian Mahinmi, George Hill, Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson. Vogel also focused on defense. But Vogel is now in Orlando coaching the upstart Magic. McMillan will have to be the new voice Bird said the Pacers needed and he will have to install his offensive philosophy and playbook. McMillan will have just a month to get the Pacers as best prepared as possible before the start of the regular season.

Is Teague’s knee fully healthy?

We should find out during training camp and the preseason. With an up-tempo offense, it is expected that the Pacers will run a lot during their practices and scrimmages. Teague rested his right knee this summer to heal the partially torn patellar tendon he sustained last season. Bird is interested to see how Teague’s knee will handle the two-a-days that the Pacers will have during training camp.

“In the workouts, he looks fine,” Bird said. “He’s been playing for the last week or two, and that’s encouraging. When you start two-a-days, things can change, but (by) all indications, he looks pretty good.”

Brooks on joining Pacers: 'You want to play on a team that’s winning'

What about the young guys?

The Pacers have plenty of young players on the roster, too. Robinson had an impressive summer league performance in Orlando and Young showed improvements as well. Christmas spent much of last season in Fort Wayne with the Mad Ants, the Pacers’ NBA Development League affiliate. Niang was selected with the 50th overall pick but has signed a fully guaranteed contract for this season.

Will any of the four players crack McMillan’s rotation? Unlikely, but it will be interesting to see how many minutes McMillan gives them during the preseason.

Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.

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