Call me a homer all you want, but I'm looking at this very objectively, Pacers will contend with Cavs next May. Teague Young Jefferson are 🔥
— Reggie Miller (@ReggieMillerTNT) July 1, 2016
The Indiana Pacers have been making some moves this offseason. The team returned to the playoffs last season, and even gave the Toronto Raptors a run for their money in the first round, but they want more than that. One person is already very excited about the Pacers for this upcoming season. In fact, this person thinks that Indiana is good enough to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers next season. The reason to be skeptical about this assertion? That person is Reggie Miller.
Yes, the career Pacer is very high on the potential for his former team. He’s so excited he used a flame emoji. Miller tries to preemptively dismiss accusations of homerism, but some people are still going to find it hard to believe he is being objective. Even if he is being objective, though, it is still highly dubious to say that the Pacers look ready to compete with the Cavs next season.
The reasons Miller gives for his enthusiasm are the additions of Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and Al Jefferson. The thing is, Teague is good, but they traded George Hill, a fine player in his own right, to get him. Young is okay, but not a game changer. At this point Jefferson is a bench scorer who needs to be protected defensively. Sure, they make the roster better, but not by enough to lift them to the level of Cleveland, who still has LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. Good for Miller that he’s so excited about the Pacers, but his hopes are likely to be dashed when the time comes.
