OKC Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers, 2019-20 team preview
Contract Situation by category:
Guaranteed: Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren, Aaron Holiday, Justin Holiday, Victor Oladipo, Edmond Sumner, Alize Johnson, T.J. Leaf, Doug McDermott, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Jeremy Lamb, T.J. McConnell, Goga Bitadze, Jakarr Sampson
Non/Partial Guaranteed: None
Two-Way Contracts: Naz Mitrou-Long | Brian Bowen II
Unsigned or on Exhibit 10: Walt Lemon Jr.| C.J. Wilcox | Amida Brimah
Thunder performance vs. Pacers in 2018-19
The scrappy Pacers split the season series versus the Thunder.
March 14, 2018, OKC Thunder at Indiana Pacers, Loss: 106 – 108
George 36 points, Sabonis 26 points
March 27, 2018, OKC Thunder versus Indiana Pacers, Win: 107 – 99
George 31 points, Bogdanovic 28 points
Paul George was the leading scorer in both games for the OKC Thunder while Sabonis took the honors in one game and Bogdanovic in the second game for the Pacers as per above.
Notably, Russell Westbrook delivered triple-doubles of 19 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists in the first game and another of 17 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists in game two.
Pacers Games versus OKC Thunder in 2019-20:
Away Game: Tuesday, November 12, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. EST
Home Game: Wednesday, December 4, 2019, at 8:00 p.m. EST
Marquee matchup: Malcolm Brogdon versus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
What to expect in the two matches versus Pacers this season:
For such major roster turnover, the Pacers actually improved on both sides of the hardwood. While Indy will miss Thaddeus Young’s grit and leadership the young players incoming (particularly Brogdon and Warren) offer younger more athletic players for those they’ll replace.
The big difference for Indy will obviously come on the offensive end which is a good thing given their 18th rank which was surprising given how often the club appeared mired in cement last season.
With Brogdon being tasked with the quarterbacking it’s also conceivable this club will improve upon their 24th ranked pace. The average age of the seven exiting players was 29.5 versus the five newbies: Warren, Brogdon, McConnell, Lamb and J. Holiday (average age of 27.2). And that’s not including their 23-year old frontcourt duo. The team is younger and more athletic even prior to Dipo’s return.
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Defensively the Pacers will be equally strong and in many ways have likely upped the ante with players capable of defending numerous positions. The issue could be who will be their lockdown defender?
Brogdon may have to take on some bigger wings that could prove to be a daunting task. Moving forward that missing piece could become the priority for GM Kevin Pritchard. As presently constructed each of Myles Turner, Brogdon, Warren, and Oladipo are high end defenders but that still leaves a hole defending big wings or mobile court stretching fours.
OKC will need to aggressively defend Brogdon as he’ll be the key to the Pacers offense. Gilgeous-Alexander will make for an intriguing matchup given his length and both guards are two-way players. Upfront Adams should have the edge over Turner because despite his ability his size still limits his ability against larger centers.
While the schedule Gods did the Pacers a favor front-loading the easier portion of their itinerary when the team will be without Oladipo the fact the Thunder faces them twice early is also helpful to the Thunder.
Next. How Thunder backcourt duo CP3 and SGA can thrive together. dark
Still, this Indiana team is no joke and likely one of the two most underestimated clubs in the East (Raptors). A split with the Pacers is conceivable given they’ll likely be among the top defensive teams again and improved offensively.