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8 things to watch during Indiana Pacers season

Pacers prepare to tip off against Pistons

Olivia Ray | News 8 at 10 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Pacers return to the hardwood for the season opener against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at The Fieldhouse still being called Bankers Life for now.

The regular season schedule continues through April 15, with the final game against the Washington Wizards at Capitol One Arena.

Here are eight things to watch in the season:

Chemistry

With four new starters beginning the season, how well will this new team work together? And how quickly can they figure out the chemistry to avoid a slow-start?

Taking ownership

While this young Pacers core tries to mesh well on the floor, who will take ownership of this team? Malcolm Brogdon said this group is unusually quiet. Will Myles Turner, the only returning starter, be up for the job?

Offense

Pacers offense increased their PPG twice in the past three seasons. Can they increase that total again this year after losing their key offensive producers in Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thad Young?

Jeremy Lamb

Filling in for Victor Oladipo until he returns from injury, how well will Lamb fill the shoes of the Pacers franchise player and is he equipped to handle the workload?

BIG man experiment

With most teams in the NBA transitioning to small ball, how will the front-court experiment of  Myles Turner and Domantis Sabonis work for the Pacers?

Goga Bitadze

In his only preseason game of the year due to an ankle injury, Bitadze scored 14 points. Will the Pacers top draft pick turn into the driving force the Pacers need off the bench? 

Staying elite on defense

Last season the Pacers defense ranked third overall with rating of 106. Will the lack of returning starters create a defensive lapse for the Blue and Gold?

Keeping eyes on postseason

The Pacers have not made it past the first round since the 2013-2014 season. Can Indiana get back to the NBA Playoffs, and how can they start a new trend of deep runs in the postseason?