Tactics

Nate McMillan is the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and he has been employed in such a role within the NBA since 2000. McMillan has utilised his wealth of experience to lead the Pacers to the playoffs in each of his three seasons. He’s a great coach that managed to lead Indy to the fifth seed in the Eastern playoffs last season despite being without Oladipo for much of the year. Defensively, the Pacers are one of the NBA’s elite teams - McMillan gets the most out of every player on this side of the ball. It is largely why both Oladipo and Turner have excelled defensively in the last two seasons. However, there is work to be done offensively. The Pacers underutilise the size and speed of Turner in this regard, as he is rarely used to attack the rim. Having said this, the Pacers finished amongst the middle-pack of the NBA in offensive rating, an impressive feat considering Oladipo was out.

Predicted 2019-20 Record: 43-39

I think the Pacers are very effectively coached, and the team has remarkably impressive strength in-depth. Their starting five is solid across the court, and the Pacers have bench depth too. With Oladipo back, the Pacers will - barring a catastrophic season - make the playoffs in 2020, although I do believe their record will take a hit in a strong and unpredictable Eastern conference.