To understand the depths of the winless (0-5) Indiana Pacers' plight, consider this: In Game 5, they played their fifth different starting lineup.
The Hawks, who were missing Trae Young, throttled Indiana, 128-108, Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
To make matters worse (like that's possible), the Pacers announced that Obi Toppin had surgery Friday to insert a screw in his injured right foot (stress fracture). Rick Carlisle said before the game he won't have any health updates until Feb. 1, so this is a long-term proposition.
They're already missing Tyrese Haliburton. Bennedict Mathurin is week-to-week with a toe sprain. T.J. McConnell is out with a hamstring strain. Andrew Nembhard has a shoulder that he injured in the home opener against OKC. Kam Jones has a back problem and rookie Taelon Peter is dealing with a groin injury.
It's only appropriate the Pacers took on the Hawks with a skeleton squad...this being Halloween and everything. (Sorry.) RayJ Dennis? Mac McClung? Quenton Jackson?
The Pacers stuck around for two-plus quarters, but then it all fell apart. Get used to it. It's going to be a rough couple of weeks until Mathurin and Nembhard return.
It feels like years ago that Gainbridge was electric with Finals fervor.
They still play fast and free, coming into the game leading the league in fast-break points, but there's only so many personnel losses a team can survive. They shot just 36 percent from the field, 28 percent from three and continued to struggle at the free-throw line, where the Pacers are the worst free-throw shooting team in the league.
One play captured the essence of the evening: In the first half, center Jay Huff grabbed an offensive rebound under the Pacers' basket. Nobody was in the area; he was wide open and only needed to lay it in the basket or dunk it. Instead, he panicked, turned, passed to a streaking Pascal Siakam, at which point Siakam was blocked at the rim.
Ugly.
In some ways, though, this isn't the worst thing for the Pacers. They're really playing with house money; if they make the playoffs, it's an incredible feat for a short-handed team. If they miss the playoffs, they get a shot at the Lottery.
Remember the 1997 San Antonio Spurs? They had a really good team, but in '97, injuries to David Robinson and Sean Elliott destroyed their season. They missed the playoffs, won the Lottery, drafted Tim Duncan first in the draft and went on to build a dynasty.
These are the things you think about during early garbage time in a one-sided Pacers loss.
At least we have the memories of last year to sustain us.