Top 10 Indiana Pacers

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One of the problems with putting together a list of the 10 greatest Indiana Pacers is some of their greatest players played in the ABA.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Jerry Seinfeld would say, but for purposes of my lists, I go mostly by NBA results.  That’s why guys like George McGinnis, Mel Daniels, Freddie Brown and Freddie Lewis aren’t on this list. And here we go.

10. Dale Davis:  Looking for a blue collar guy that can play good defense, go to the boards and score just a little bit?  Then Dale Davis was your man.  Dale spent 10 years pounding the boards for the Pacers, pulling down 9 rebounds per game while scoring at a clip of 9.3 ppg.  Dale made it in the top 10 in offensive rebounds four of his 10 seasons with the Pacers.  As a bonus, Dale blocked 1.3 shots per game.  Dale did make it to the NBA All Star game in 2000.  I mean as a player, not spectator.

9. Chuck Person:  To say that Chuck wasn’t shy about shooting the ball is an understatement.  Of course, he was pretty good at it.  In seven seasons with the Pacers, Person averaged 19 ppg to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists.  Person hit .481 from the field, including .350 of his three pointers.  The Rifleman was the 1986-87 NBA rookie of the year.  I knew Chuck’s nickname was the Rifleman but I was surprised to see his middle name is actually Connors.

8. Billy Knight:  Billy was a star for the Pacers in both the ABA and NBA.  Knight averaged 28.1 ppg during the last year of the ABA’s existence.  He continued with the Pacers in their first year in the NBA during the 1976-77 and averaged 26.1 ppg.  Billy shot .493 from the field and .816 from the line.  He also pulled down 7.5 rebounds and accounted for 3.3 assists that season.  He never reached those heights again, but had a solid career, most of which was spent with Indiana.  In retrospect, it seems like Billy might be a bit overlooked as a solid NBA producer.

7. Danny Granger:   Danny profiles as the highest scorer on a bad team.  Having said that, that’s not to say Danny wasn’t a good player.  Granger spent nine seasons with the Pacers, averaging 17.6 ppg to go with 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists.  Granger’s high water point was the 2008-09 season with Danny scored at a 25.8 ppg clip.  He followed that up with a 24.1 campaign in the 2009-10 season.  Granger was a three point threat, hitting .382 of his three pointers while with the Pacers.  He hit .404 of his threes during the 2008-09 season.  That was also the year Granger was named as an NBA all star.

6. Detlef Schrempf:  I remembered Detlef as a good NBA player, I just didn’t remember he was at his best during his time with the Pacers.  Schrempf’s slash line with the Pacers was 18.0/8.6/4.1.  That line reflects Detlef’s well-rounded game.  Schrempf was an efficient shooter, hitting .511 from the field and .813 from the line.  Detlef spent 4+ seasons with the Pacers and went to the 1993 NBA All Star while with the team.

5. Jalen Rose:  Rose spent time with five NBA teams and put up his best stats with the Bulls, but probably peaked with the Pacers.  Jalen averaged 16.2 ppg and 3.4 assists while with Indians, but was part of a good Pacers team that pushed the Michael Jordan led Bulls in the playoffs.  Rose’s best season with the Pacers was the 2000-01 campaign when he averaged 20.5 ppg.  Jalen was named the NBA Most Improved Player for 1999-00 season.  In addition to his regular season accomplishments, Rose was a excellent player for the Pacers during the playoffs.

4. Rik Smits:  The Dunking Dutchman spent 12 years in the paint for the Pacers.  Rik was a solid offensive option for the Pacers, averaging14.8 ppg during his career.  At his peak, Rik averaged 17-18 ppg.  Though he stood 7’ 4”, Smits wasn’t a huge force on the boards, taking down 6.1 rebounds per game.  His height did come in handy when it came to shot blocking, blocking  1,3 shots per game. Rik appeared in the 1998 NBA All Star game, scoring 10 points.

3. Jermaine O’Neal: Jermaine was one of the better big men in the NBA at his peak with the Pacers.  O’Neal spent eight seasons with Pacers, going to the NBA All Star game six times during that period.  Jermaine averaged 18.6 ppg while in Indiana, but maxed out at 24.3 ppg during the 2004-05 season.  Jermaine supplemented his scoring with 9.6 rebounds per game along with 2.4 blocks.  O’Neal wasn’t a great shooter, hitting .458 from the field and .719 from the line.  Still, O’Neal was a Pacers stalwart.

2. Paul George:  George was/is a versatile player with an all around game.  George was good for about 20 points per game seven rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals during his seven years with the Pacers.  He reminds me of a poor man’s Scottie Pippen.  George was named the NBA’s Most Improved player for the 2012-13 season and was a five-time all star with the Pacers. While not a high percentage shooter, Paul supplemented his offense by being a decent three point shooter, hitting .375 of his treys.

1: Reggie Miller:  Reggie was such a good shooter he could nail a jumper while simultaneously kicking a defender and drawing a foul. Reggie spent a staggering 18 seasons with the Pacers.  Of course when you think of Reggie, you think of his shooting ability.  Miller hit .395 of his threes and .888 from the line.  Reggie led the NBA in free throw shooting five times and hit .900 or more from the line seven times.  He averaged 18.2 ppg during the regular season and 20.6 ppg during the playoffs.  He was also a better than fair trash talker.  Reggie is pretty much synonymous with P