Healthy Pacers should contend

It could have been a lot worse.
Yes, given that the Indiana Pacers finished in a tie for the eighth-best in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs only by way of a tiebreaker, it would have been much worse.
Consider the following:
•Lance Stephenson left the team in free agency, signing a contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
•Paul George was lost to what was thought to be a season-ending leg injury before the 2014-15 campaign even started. (He ended up returning for the final six games.)
•George Hill missed 39 of the first 44 games this season.
Those three players accounted for an average of 45.8 points per game during the 2013-14 season, missing just 12 games combined. A big chunk of that scoring came from long distance, as they hit 363 3-pointers.
They combined for 11.6 assists, their departures leaving post player David West as the top returning passer.

They grabbed a combined 17.7 rebounds, and the list goes on, and on, and on.
Roy Hibbert and West were surely important pieces for the Eastern Conference title contending squad, but it was George, Stephenson and Hill who were the motor that made the team go.
When asked about the Pacers’ outlook prior to the season, I answered by saying they would surpass their Las Vegas over/under for wins — 33 — but not by much. And I said they would compete for the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, but fall short.
Those predictions look pretty good now. But I made them without having any idea Hill would miss about half the season.
And to be honest, had he played the whole year, I would have been very wrong.
With Hill, West, C.J. Watson and Rodney Stuckey all missing time early, it was a rough start for the Pacers. They opened 1-6.
As they year went on, they had other losing streaks of six, seven and six games.
But when Hill returned, Indiana was a different team.
It took the Pacers a few games to get their new lineup to mesh, but beginning Feb. 4 against Detroit they went on a tear. They won 13 out of 15 games, pulling to within four of the .500 mark.
A losing streak followed, but when George returned late Indiana went on another run. It finished 6-1, with only a final game loss to the Memphis Grizzlies keeping it out of the playoffs.
To break it down into simple numbers, the Pacers were 12-29 without Hill and 26-17 when he was in the lineup. That’s a .605 winning percentage, which would have been good for fourth in the East this season.
Some may say Hill was aided by George’s late return, and that’s a valid argument. But even in games played without George, the Hill-led Pacers went 21-16. That’s a .568 winning percentage, which would have earned Indiana the No. 5 seed in the East.
A healthy Hill, even without Stephenson and George, would have been enough for the Pacers to make the playoffs.
And the hidden bonus of the season may be the other players, the 2014-15 newcomers to the Circle City, who proved they could support Hill in helping Indiana win. Free agent pick-ups C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey averaged 13.5 and 12.6 points per game respectively, trailing only Hill’s team-best 16.1.
The point of all this is not to say this year’s season was a triumph for the Pacers. Surely they would have rather had Stephenson return at a reasonable price, George skip the summer basketball that resulted in the broken leg and Hill (and everyone else) avoid injury. Under that scenario, they might now be sitting in the driver’s seat in the East.
But given the cards free agency and fate dealt them, they did a solid job. And it should have fans excited for next year.
The only players who can leave in free agency are Luis Scola, who will be 35 when the 2015-16 season begins, and Stuckey.
George will be back and healthy. Hill will be ready to lead the team with him. And Indiana will have a lottery pick in deep draft class.
Considering all of that, the Pacers should be a contender.