Not even two years ago, the Indiana Pacers gave the Boston Celtics their toughest battle en route to their 18th championship victory (sure, it was a sweep, but outside of Game 2, every game was decided by five or fewer points. And, let's face it, the Pacers probably should've won Game 1 if it wasn't for whatever late-game voodoo magic went against them).
And just last year, they were one win away from winning their first NBA title in franchise history (and maybe would've actually done it if it wasn't for Tyrese Haliburton tearing his Achilles early in Game 7).
Indiana's roster looks different now than it did at this time last year (In: Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown, Jay Huff, Micah Potter - OUT: Myles Turner, Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a healthy Haliburton), and it can't be ignored that the team finished with a 19-63 record (which was a disappointment, even under the circumstances of Haliburton's injury and Turner's departure). However, they will still be title contenders once they get their star guard back next season.
And the fact that lottery luck didn't go in their favor yesterday is a massive break for the Celtics and any other team trying to make some real noise in the East.
The Pacers just missed out on adding a real game-changer
For those unaware of what's happening, let me summarize: Indiana traded its first-round pick for this year as part of a package to the Los Angeles Clippers for Zubac. However, the pick was 1-4 and 10-30 protected, meaning the Pacers would get it back unless it fell in that 5-9 range.
This was considered an incredibly risky move by the Pacers. Sure, they needed a center (Huff and Potter did not and will not make up for Turner's absence, especially when it all starts to actually matter in the playoffs), but this is a very deep draft class, and the possibility of them adding a top pick to a team with Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Andrew Nembhard was scary for the rest of the league.
However, as it turns out, this is just a hypothetical "what-if?" now. Indiana's pick fell to No. 5, which will in turn make its way to the Clippers.
Indiana won 19 games last season (second-worst in franchise history), went on a losing streak that set a franchise record (twice), and allegedly tanked by sitting out pretty much everyone who knows how to play basketball in the last month or so of the season. And it doesn't even end with them getting one of the top prospects in this draft (AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson).
Anybody from this year's draft would have been an incredible addition to a Pacers team trying to re-enter the title picture next season. And the fact that it didn't happen is bad news for them, but great news for everybody else in the East.
The Pacers losing their pick is great news for the Celtics
To be fair, the Pacers are still going to be a solid team next season.
Haliburton will be back. Siakam is fresh off arguably the best individual season of his career. Nembhard and old friend Aaron Nesmith are still balling. Jarace Walker developed into a real asset over the course of the season. And while he's the butt of a lot of jokes right now, Zubac was still a good pickup for Indiana (he is an elite paint presence on both sides of the ball, is a fantastic rebounder, and will be a great pick-and-roll partner for Haliburton).
But without Dybantsa/Boozer/Peterson/Wilson, the Pacers are just another talented team in the East, not a juggernaut. And for the Celtics, who are looking to stay in/return to the title picture moving forward, this is a fantastic development for them.
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