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

Pressure on Brogdon immediately:

As much as I’m a big supporter of Malcolm Brogdon he’ll be tossed right into the fire. While he needs to develop chemistry with his new team he won’t have time to ease into the system due to Dipo’s absence. That means he’ll be the primary ballhandler, playmaker, have the priority backcourt defensive assignment and need to be one of the main perimeter shooters.

Clutch time will also fall on his shoulders whether he’s tasked with creating the shot for someone or being the clutch scorer. That’s a ton of pressure right out of the gate. To reiterate, the Pacers and Brogdon get lucky with an easier schedule start, affording him some adjustment time.

One player short:

For as much as this iteration of the Pacers is versatile on both sides of the floor and boasts tons of two-way talents capable of defending numerous positions there is one very obvious gap. Some are citing the need for another star of the same ilk as Dipo. I’m not of the same mind. Rather, I see the obvious issue of a defender capable of covering players of Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James ilk.

This is particularly true if there are two frontcourt players to deal with or numerous wings. Although Turner is an amazing defender who can cover various positions the issue is his best defensive placement would be under the basket to allow his superb rim protection. Likewise, Brogdon and Dipo are quality defenders but their size inhibits their ability to guard big threes or the unicorn types mentioned.

Of note, if Andre Roberson returns with the same defensive ability as he had pre-injury he’d be the perfect addition for that very reason. There are semantics involved in this consideration but that’s a different article for another day.