If you peruse this Washington Wizards blog site every now and then, you might have noticed a particular affection for lineup data. Individual plus/minus data and other on/off-court numbers, and iterations of those connected to more advanced metrics such as stats per possession, do tell a story. But NBA teams must play five players at once, and the combination of which five players work best together can be much more insightful (and maybe much more important).
The Pacers, like the Wizards, are going through a fairly drastic shift to a court-spreading style of play. Gone is Roy Hibbert, gone is David West, and here is Indiana’s most-used lineup to date: George Hill, Monta Ellis, CJ Miles, Paul George at the 4, and Ian Mahinmi (the lineup that will start tonight versus the Wizards).