Another Season in the Books

The final whistle of today's game will mark the end of the Pacers' '22-'23 campaign, a season that finishes with a whimper but more or less went according to plan.

In General Manager Kevin Pritchard's opening press conference, he stated that this year would not be judged by wins or losses but by internal development. It was a tacit acknowledgement that management, much like everyone else, expected the team to struggle on the court.

Nevertheless, the team played inspired – and winning – basketball to start the year. We didn't have to wait long for the development of our young players either. Right out of the gate, rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard looked like NBA vets. Tyrese Haliburton jumped from League Pass darling to whispers of "he could be the best player on a championship team." Even Myles Turner took his game to another level, resulting in a somewhat surprising contract extension.  

The wheels fell off the bus in January, when Haliburton went down with a sprained elbow. The rest of the team struggled without their floor general controlling the game and the rookies showed they still need time before they can carry the load on their own.

Even so, the team stayed unified throughout their struggles. The front office deserves credit for assembling a high character group, as even players like Duarte, Jackson, and Smith, who struggled to gain solid footing all year, remained bought in to the team's success.  Keeping on steady handed vets like James Johnson, TJ McConnell, and Buddy Hield may have seemed short sighted at times this year, but their leadership undoubtedly played a part in the wonderful chemistry this squad possesses.

While we're expected to have a similar draft pick to last year, it would be misleading to say that the team is in the same position as it was at the close of the '21-'22 season. The culture took a giant leap forward and the expectations for next year are those of a team in the playoff mix. I believe that satisfies Pritchard's metric of internal development and, therefore, I believe this season was a resounding success.

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