Though the Pacers, yet again, won’t be participating in the playoffs for a second-consecutive season, they still have a vested interest by proxy of draft implications.
On February 6, when Caris LeVert was traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for Ricky Rubio’s expiring contract, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick via Houston, Cleveland had the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. Since then, while forced to weather injuries to LeVert (sprained right foot), Dean Wade (torn meniscus), Jarrett Allen (fractured finger), and Evan Mobley (ankle sprain), they’ve gone 11-16, posting a win-loss record equal to or better than only Detroit (11-16), Washington (11-16), Orlando (9-17), and Indiana (6-20) in the East, while limping — quite literally — into the play-in tournament.