2015 saw major changes in the Indiana Pacers organization, from the end of a bigger, slower style of play to make way for a small ball approach, to buying their own Development League team.

In 2015, the Indiana Pacers also saw what life might be like without their franchise player, Paul George. Change defined the Pacers in 2015 and while certain storylines are still in progress, such as the emergence of C.J. Miles as a sharpshooter, the only thing for sure about the previous year was change, for better or for worse.

We saw the Pacers rebuild the team quicker than expected as they are currently in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, but only trail the first place Cleveland Cavaliers by four games. The fact all of these changes happened and the team looks to be in great shape going forward caught many people (including us at 8 Points, 9 Seconds) off guard, but should be a testament to Larry Bird’s prowess as the team’s president. The future looks good for the Indiana Pacers.

While there are 3 stories that most defined those changes in 2015, there are a few honorable mentions of other changes, both cosmetic and of consequence, that shouldn’t be forgotten.

The Hickory Pacers

With the 30-year anniversary of the movie Hoosiers upon us, and with the Indiana Pacers being in the mecca of high school basketball, it seemed appropriate for the team to introduce an alternate jersey to honor the beloved film. The Pacers are 2-2 in the uniforms so far this season, with six more games left where they will don the red and gold.

Monta Ellis Joins the Pacers

While there were many changes made to the roster this off-season, the signing of Monta Ellis might have been the most notable addition. His season didn’t end the way the Dallas Mavericks had hoped, meaning the free-agent came to Indiana with questions on how well he could fit in with the Pacers. The phrases “head-case” and “ball-hog” were being tossed around despite having a solid season in Dallas before Rajon Rondo joined the team and disrupted the team’s chemistry.

But so far Monta Ellis has looked like the perfect teammate, shooting 42.6% from the field while leading the team in assists with 4.5 a game. He’s averaging 13.1 points a game, down from his career average of 19.1, but there haven’t any signs of unhappiness coming from him. He’s found a role within the Pacers and everything is working well so far. Even his defense has been much better than expected.

Monta was just one part of a bigger series of changes, but when he joined there was the most chatter, mainly about if and how he would fit in with the Indiana Pacers.

But there were three stories that truly defined the changes the Indiana Pacers went through in 2015.