Wednesday Windmill: Are the Indiana Pacers a healthy Victor Oladipo away from winning the East?

                                          (Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images) 


On Tuesday, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 105-102 at home, improving to 19-9 overall and 6th in the Eastern Conference. As has been a staple of theirs over the years, the Pacers have a pretty balanced scoring attack with five players scoring in double figures: Malcolm Brogdon (19.1 points per game), T.J. Warren (17.8 points per game), Domantas Sabonis (17.7 points per game), Jeremy Lamb (14.6 points per game), and Myles Turner (11.1 points per game). When you have so many different weapons, you're a very difficult team to stop both at home and on the road.

That all said, the Pacers appear to be lacking at least one additional weapon, which is where Victor Oladipo comes in. Oladipo hasn't played all season due to a knee injury and it remains unclear when he'll return. His absence is nothing small as he averaged 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game last season. He's their best player on paper.

The good news for the Pacers is that so far at least, they're playing really well without him. They're on pace to make the playoffs and are keeping themselves within striking distance of a top four seed in the East for when he returns. Assuming he does return this season and is able to play like his regular self, this Pacers team just might make a run at the Eastern Conference crown.

What makes Oladipo so good is that he's a complete two-way player. It's not just the points. It's the rebounding, the assists, and the steals. He does a little bit of everything and knows how to get it done on both ends of the floor. Guys like him are invaluable and truly make a difference on their teams. He's the kind of player every coach wishes that they had.

When talking about which teams could come out of the East this year, don't sleep on the Pacers. They're already one of the better teams in the league and are still awaiting the return of their best player. That should have everyone in the East on notice.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: The Phoenix Suns are starting to find their groove

Currently sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 16-52 record, not a lot has gone right for the Phoenix Suns this season. T.J. Warren (18.0 points per game) went down with a right ankle injury and has missed 25 games and counting. On top of that, Devin Booker (25.1 points per game) has missed 15 games due to a hamstring injury. When you combine youth with injury, you have a recipe for a lot of losses.

Despite this adversity, this Suns team has found a way to stay together and it's starting to show in their most recent outings. In their last 10 games, the Suns are 5-5. Even more recently, they've won four of their last five games defeating the Lakers, Bucks, Knicks, and Warriors. That's right, they've defeated the top team in the Eastern Conference (Bucks) and the top team in the Western Conference (Warriors) in their last five games. If that isn't finding a groove, I don't know what it is.

What seems to be making the difference is Devin Booker going off and Kelly Oubre, Jr. starting to find his footing with his new team. In their 114-105 win over the Bucks, Oubre finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds. In their win over the Warriors, Oubre had 22 points and 5 rebounds while Booker finished with 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Against the lousy Knicks, Booker scored 41 points while Oubre chipped in 18.

While not having as explosive of outings, Deandre Ayton has done a good job of being the brick of this team. He's missed hardly any time (6 games) while averaging 16.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He's always hovering right around his scoring average, providing the Suns with a lot of consistency.

If I'm a Suns fan, I would be feeling optimistic about the future. Booker, Oubre, Ayton, and Warren form a really talented core that is starting to figure out how to win basketball games. What's been particularly impressive about the Suns' recent hot streak is the fact that they've been doing this without Warren. Once he gets back, it should be really interesting to see what this team does.

The bottom line is that this year is all about growth and development with wins not being the main focus. What you want to see is improvement and the Suns are definitely showing that. Provided they keep this core together and everyone stays healthy, there's no reason to doubt this team's ability to become a force in the Western Conference.

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