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Indiana Pacers · The Indiana Pacers missed the postseason for the third consecutive season, but their 35 wins were the most since the club’s last playoff berth in 2020. Things are trending in the right direction now that Indiana got a full season out of its franchise player. Tyrese Haliburton was a first-time All-Star after averaging career-best marks of 20.7 points and 10.4 assists — one of just three players in the NBA to average at least 10 dimes per game and just the 15th player in league history to average 20-plus points and 10-plus assists in a season. Haliburton’s 1.6 steals per contest also ranked in the top-10, and he signed a contract extension after the season to stay in Indiana for the next five years. The Pacers made Bennedict Mathurin the sixth pick in the 2022 draft and he responded by averaging 16.7 points per game to claim a spot on the All-Rookie First Team, becoming the first Pacers rookie since 1989 to be selected to the top squad. Veteran guard Buddy Hield continued to be a consistent long-range threat, shooting better than 42 percent from downtown and becoming the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,500 career 3-pointers. Hield also set the franchise record for most treys in a season with 288. Myles Turner had another productive season in the middle for Indiana, averaging 2.3 blocks per game to finish in the top-five in the league for the seventh straight year. · State of Mint