The New York Knicks are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, but they're not the only good team in the East. Plenty of teams will try to take that mantle besides the Boston Celtics. That includes Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and maybe Toronto, among others. One contender that has fallen under the radar as Boston has is Indiana.
The Celtics are about to get healthier with Jayson Tatum being over a year removed from tearing his Achilles. The Pacers are getting a similar benefit with Tyrese Haliburton's return this coming season. Tatum did not take long to look back to normal when he returned to the floor, which makes it not just possible that Haliburton will follow the same path, but arguably likely.
If and when he does, there's a solid chance Indiana will re-enter that same tier they were in with both Boston and New York. This is a team that was quite literally a Haliburton injury away from winning their first title in franchise history. Yes, their roster makeup has changed a bit in the past year, but their centerpiece is back, and they've made some upgrades.
Indiana's moves could make them even better
Indiana acquiring Ivica Zubac will prove to be a big deal this coming season. Yeah, it sort of backfired on the Pacers that they had to fork over the No. 5 pick in a loaded draft in the process, but Zubac should make them quickly forget about all of that. The Pacers paid a good price for a good reason, as Zubac has proven he's an excellent player.
On top of upgrading from him, they have most of their NBA Finals team from last year intact, save for Myles Turner (Zubac is better and Turner's a negative-value contract) and Bennedict Mathurin, who they have since replaced with Kelly Oubre Jr. (a pain in the Celtics' ass three months ago).
Now, of course, everything will depend on if Haliburton can get back to the same level he was at before he got hurt. Again, Tatum looked much better than most had feared, but it's no guarantee that Haliburton will do the same. But everyone should hope that Tatum's recovery means Haliburton will do the same.
If he does, the Pacers should be taken seriously as a threat just as the Knicks are. It is a wait-and-see situation, but so are the Celtics for that matter. If both teams put it together again, we might just see a rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston definitely has their work cut out for them in the East, but they mustn't underestimate how good the Pacers could be next season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google