The very different gap years

Coming into the season, there were two Eastern Conference powers who were expected to take gap years. The Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers have had very different seasons, for one it has been a nightmare and they are headed towards the lottery and the other is 2nd in the Eastern Conference. How have they gotten here and is one better than the other?

Let’s start in Indiana. It has not been a fun season for the Pacers. Sitting at 6-31, the Pacers have the worst record in the NBA after going to the NBA Finals a season ago. Nothing is going well for the Pacers. They have had a lot of guys miss time this season and it is not just Tyrese Haliburton. Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Bennedict Mathurin have all missed time this season. It has not been a fun season for the Pacers or their fans. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel; the draft lottery. Indiana is going to have a chance at the first pick and even if they don’t get first overall, they can still get a really good player at the top of the draft. That is a way to build around your superstar point guard, which this season has only proved his importance to how they play and their success.

On the other side of the coin, the Boston Celtics have blown through expectations. With a record of 23-12, they have surpassed expectations for a bunch of reasons. For example, Jaylen Brown is having the best season of his career and Joe Mazzulla is the leading candidate for Coach of the Year right now. They have also gotten exceptional play from players they did not expect to be awesome like Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez. Unlike the Pacers, they have been exceptionally healthy, outside of Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown has missed 2 games, Derrick White has missed 1 game and Payton Pritchard has played in every game thus far. That does not change the fact that Boston is really good, at 23-12, the Celtics have the 2nd best record and the best net rating in the Eastern Conference. Without Jayson Tatum, that is extremely impressive.

While I don’t think we can identify which way is better yet, there are pros and cons to both. First off, the Pacers are not trying to be this bad, they have been incredibly injured this season. Yet, if they end up with a top 3 pick in the draft, this season would have been worth it. To add another star player to Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard would make the Pacers one of the favorites in the east next season. However, if they end up picking 7th, that would be devastating after the season they have had. Meanwhile for the Celtics, to win a playoff series or 2 would be a huge win for the season. It does sound like Jayson Tatum is getting set to return so he will help, but betting on him being 100% of Jayson Tatum again is not a bet you will likely win. What if this Boston season finishes with them in 4th or 5th in the conference and a 1st round exit? Would it have been better to tank and try and get into the lottery?

We cannot say which way is definitively better yet but the Pacers and Celtics gap years have gone very differently and it will be fun to see in the spring time which season was better. If you can get the first pick in the draft, I do think that is a better result than a first round exit but winning is not a bad thing. Watching Jaylen Brown have the best season of his career in year 10 has been so much fun and in a weak Eastern Conference, who says the Celtics can’t make a real run in the playoffs.