As the 2016-17 season steadily approaches, the look and feel of the team is starting to come into view.

As far as starters go, it seems safe to assume that Paul George, Myles Turner and offseason acquisitions Thaddeus Young and Jeff Teague will be among the starting five. That leaves the shooting guard spot in question, and while incumbent Monta Ellis certainly has a case for starting, there are factors that may necessitate a move to the bench for the 11-year vet.

Last season, Ellis started in all 81 games in which he appeared, averaging 13.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. But Ellis' role may change this year, mostly due to the acquisition of Teague.

When he was opposite George Hill, Ellis took the role of primary ball handler, executing drive-and-kick plays with Hill — a 41 percent 3-point shooter last year — as the recipient of his passes. This offensive scheme made sense, making use of Ellis' fleet-footed drives and Hill's 3-point marksmanship. However, with Teague in the fold, a starting guard tandem of Ellis and Teague is lacking in the long-range firepower often needed in today's NBA. Additionally, to play Teague off the ball would be a waste of his shot creation skills, which was a major reason the Pacers acquired him in the first place.

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Although Teague shot 40 percent from deep last season, his career averages are lower. In the three seasons prior to 2015-16, he hit 36, 33, and 34 percent of his 3-point shots. Combine that with Ellis, who hasn't cracked 33 percent from beyond the arc since 2010-11, and you are left with a starting backcourt badly needing 3-point consistency.

Enter C.J. Miles stage left.

Miles had his stretches of inaccuracy last season, but still finished the season shooting a respectable 37 percent from deep. He's a career 35 percent shooter from long range, but has finished at or above that mark in each of his last four seasons.

Additionally, the 6-foot 6-inch Miles could provide more length on defense, ensuring that Teague would only be tasked with guarding opposing point guards instead of getting stuck on shooting guards, which would require him to cover more ground on defense.

Aside from Miles and Ellis, only one player currently on the Pacers' roster seems to fit the bill for the starting unit, and it's the 22-year-old Glenn Robinson III.

Robinson earned plaudits for his play in last year's preseason, trailing only Paul George in scoring and looking like the dynamic, floor-stretching player the Pacers were hoping for when they signed him.

However, during the regular season, Robinson seemed to fall back to passivity; not an unusual characteristic for a young player. Even so, he still finished the year shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. If he can cut down on the mental mistakes and use his length to excel defensively, Robinson certainly has a chance to grab a starting spot at some point this season.

While a shift in the starting lineup may occur, Ellis still remains likely to open up training camp as the starting shooting guard. Although the Ellis and Teague combo may be lacking in terms of 3-point shooting, the pairing could still be a dynamic threat, especially if Indiana espouses a fast-paced attack. Both players are deft passers with the ability to collapse a defense and find open shooters.

But with training camp just a few weeks out, the team's direction at shooting guard will be carefully watched.