OKC Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers, 2019-20 team preview

Offense catching up to the defense:

Ranking 18th offensively isn’t terrible unless your desire is to win the gold ball. Certainly losing Oladipo added pressure for the others to score which at times last season was like pulling teeth.

The additions Indy made not only address the scoring issue but are of the kill two birds with one stone variety given the 3-point shooting prowess of Warren (42.8 percent)  and Brogdon (42.6 percent) specifically. Factor in Doug McDermott (40.8 percent) and Myles Turner (38.8 percent) and you’ve got three snipers with an efficiency over 40 percent which any team would covet especially when all three of those players are quality defenders.

As for the perimeter upgrades the Pacers ranked fifth in efficiency but the problem was they ranked 29th for attempts and makes. Just by virtue of adding Brogdon and Warren those statistics should change and also open the floor for others to get clear shots. Also, it’s important to note how rare the 50-40-90 statline is (50 percent from the field, 40 percent from the perimeter and 90 percent from the stripe) which Brogdon accomplished last season — his third year as a pro.

Roster versatility:

The revamped roster features numerous players with two-way games; another highly desirable trait that GMs covet. The unique aspect of this roster is McMillan can start four players with that ability when Dipo returns. That’s assuming he sticks with the proposed Turner-Sabonis frontcourt, plugs in Warren at small forward and features Brogdon and Dipo. Of that starting five only Sabonis wouldn’t be considered a high end defender.

Rookie Goga Bitadze offers frontcourt depth and potentially forces a decision to be made regarding the numerous big men and whether Indy keeps all three or trades one to fill a gap. The hope is T.J Leaf takes a step and will be given the opportunity to succeed.

Fans should be hyped for Dipo’s return especially with the prospect of his new backcourt partner. I’m not sure there is a duo who rivals them in terms of their capacity to score and defend. We’ll find out shortly after the All-Star break if Dipo stays on plan for his return date.