Victor Oladipo is confident that the new-look Indiana Pacers will make the playoffs in the upcoming 2019-20 NBA season.

The Pacers lost some of their key rotation pieces in the offseason, with Bojan Bogdanovic signing with the Utah Jazz, Cory Joseph going to the Sacramento Kings and Thaddeus Young joining the Chicago Bulls. Moreover, Darren Collison retired early to focus on his ministry calling.

Despite the significant loss, however, Oladipo remains optimistic about the team’s chances, thanks to the addition of Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, TJ McConnell, TJ Warren, Justin Holiday and JaKarr Sampson.

“Playoffs, for sure. Definitely.” Oladipo responded when asked abut the team’s direction going in to the 2019-20 campaign, per J. Michael of IndyStar.

There is no doubt that this Pacers squad, as constructed, can make the postseason. The question is whether they can take the next step and advance to the second round.

They haven’t had a series win since the 2014 playoffs and have exited the first round over the past four years. The Pacers could have made some noise in last year’s playoffs, but Oladipo’s season-ending knee injury was just too much for them to overcome.

There is still no official return date for the former Most Improved Player. One thing is for sure, they will need the leadership of their All-Star guard if they want to achieve their goals in the upcoming season.