NBA 2018-19: Eastern Conference playoff picture prediction

5th seed: Indiana Pacers

The 2017-18 NBA Most Improved Player

Lance Stephenson will be missed. He is by far one of the most entertaining players and always had a way to make NBA fans laugh and smile. Nonetheless, the Pacers are talented. Victor Oladipo will be expected to play at the same level he played last year, if not better.

This shouldn't be a problem, as his skill playing both sides of the court was sustained for the entire season and in the playoffs.

He's a hardworking individual, who credits Westbrook for some of his inspiration to improve his work ethic. There is no question that he is currently working hard to improve his game during the offseason.

Myles Turner was expected to take a big jump last year after Paul George had left, however that jump never happened and he remained as a solid starting center.

He does have a bright future as he is only 22 years old, but he needs to add some scoring to help the Pacers make a push for a higher seed or deeper in the playoffs. The Pacers will need him to score 15+ points to provide some scoring with Oladipo and Tyreke Evans.

Speaking of Tyreke Evans, I think his signing is one of the most underrated of this offseason. He is coming off an incredible comeback year with Memphis where averaged 19.5 points along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists a game.

Tyreke Evans is a point guard. Back when he was drafted, he played a lot of point guard which is why he experienced a lot of success with the Kings, however in the seasons after that teams would play him as a shooting guard.

Memphis ran the ball through him a lot, which is why he played at a great level. If the Pacers want to sustain that level of play from him, they need to play him as a point guard. The backcourt of Oladipo and Evans will be fun to watch.