Anonymous Executives Have No Faith in Pacers Repeating as East Champs in 2025
The Indiana Pacers shocked the NBA when they stormed through the Eastern Conference this year. Despite the fact that they made the Eastern Conference Finals last season, no one had faith in them.
They used that fuel to run through the East playoffs without too many issues. They dispatched the Bucks in six games, the Cavs in five, and the Knicks in six to make the NBA Finals.
Indiana came one win away from being crowned NBA champions. Despite their success this past season, executives do not have faith in them repeating that endeavor next year.
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Anonymous executives aren’t giving the Pacers any chance of repeating as Eastern Conference champions, according to an article by ESPN.
In fact, none of those executives even mentioned the Pacers as being a contender to win the East next year. A confluence of factors is related to that decision.
Tyrese Haliburton’s injury is chief among them. After tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, he has already been ruled out for the entire 2025-26 season by Kevin Pritchard.
Haliburton’s ability to find teammates with unorthodox passes and tempo is not something the Pacers can replicate with another guard on the roster. He’s unique in how he drives the offense.
Without Haliburton running the show, the Pacers become more predictable. Unpredictability on offense is what made them so hard to defend, especially because everyone could shoot from beyond the three-point arc.
More news: Did Tyrese Haliburton Injury Impact Myles Turner’s Decision to Leave Pacers for Bucks?
Myles Turner’s departure is another reason why executives don’t love Indiana’s chances. After spending his first 10 years in Indiana, the Pacers now have to find a new starting center.
It’s likely that they don’t use a stretch five like Turner next season. The only one they have on the roster is Jay Huff, and he shot just 3.1 threes per game. Turner launched 5.5 threes per game this past year.
