via IndyStar.com

Rookie Class:

The Indiana Pacers will bring four rookies into their squad for the 2019–20 season, Goga Bitadze, Brian Bowen, Jakeenan Grant, and Amida Brimah. Truly speaking the only player who can hope to have any sort of role is Goga Bitadze, and even this will be a long shot with their depth at the center position. I do believe that there is a scenario in which the Pacers trade either Sabonis or Turner this season, and this would certainly open up more opportunities for Bitadze. The 6’11” center from Georgia (the country, not the school) is coming off a solid season in the EuroLeague averaging 20 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 3.8 blocks per 40 minutes. For a 19-year-old, those are some very impressive numbers. If the team feels confident in his abilities moving forward, they will find a way to get him involved. The other 3 rookies are on either Two-Way contracts or Exhibition contracts and those are usually roster-filling fliers. Feel free to keep an eye out for them, but don’t hold your breath.

Most Exciting Player:

Overall, Victor Oladipo is truly the most exciting player on the Indiana Pacers, but he isn’t who I have my eye on this season. We know what kind of player he is and what exactly he is capable of. In addition, we’re still waiting to see how long he will be out with his injury. The player I am most intrigued by this season is Malcolm Brogdon. We saw many flashes of his potential when he was in Milwaukee but on that team, he was always going to play second fiddle to Giannis. With Victor Oladipo likely out to start the season, he will have a chance to take control of this team. If he asserts himself the way he showed for Milwaukee in the playoffs this team will stay afloat both until and after Victor Oladipo returns. Be on the lookout for Malcolm Brogdon this season, I have high expectations for him.

Westgate Over/Under: 47.5

Last season the Indiana Pacers went 48–34 without Victor Oladipo for much of the season. This season they’ve added some good depth adding Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren, Jeremy Lamb, and Justin Holiday. The loss of Bojan Bogdanovic will be felt but with their off-season additions as well as the potential growth from within their previous roster they will make up for their loss. If you’re a top 3 seed in the East, don’t look back because Indiana is coming for you. I imagine they will push for 50 wins this year and have home-court advantage in the first round.

Happiness is a Function of Expectations:

The Pacers are in a tricky position. Their fan base should be excited to see what the future holds, but the current roster construction just does not allow for them to be serious championship contenders. Though they were able to get Malcolm Brogdon this off-season they are not the biggest free-agent destination. The difficulty this team will face is being a playoff team most seasons but not being a serious contender to win a title. This season the team should look to have home-court advantage in the first round and also advance. It’s not the sexiest end to a season, but the likelihood of them upsetting Boston, Toronto, or Milwaukee in the playoffs is just is not very high.