Calling next season a gap year for the Indiana Pacers would mean it's a wasted season for them. However, they have a great opportunity to still compete while also adding weapons to their arsenal and seeing who works long-term.
Recently, Tony East of Locked On Pacers and John Karalis of Locked On Celtics spoke about the idea that each of their respective teams will be in line for a gap year. However, East noted that a gap year indicates a season that is not worth monitoring, and that is completely untrue in Indiana's case. Instead, they will be able to learn some things and experiment a little bit to see what works for when Haliburton (or Tatum in Boston's case) returns from his injury (h/t Locked On Pacers on YouTube).