If history is any indication, there's a lot of uncertainty on what type of player the Pacers will be getting with the No. 11 pick in next month's draft.
The Pacers got lucky with their No. 11 pick in 1987 when they selected Reggie Miller. Miller went on to become the face of the franchise for nearly 20 years, a five-time All-Star and the NBA's career leader in three-pointers. The Pacers have a lottery pick for the first time since 1997, when they chose Austin Croshere at No. 12. They were supposed to draft 11th last year, but they had to give the pick to the Atlanta Hawks as part of the trade that brought Al Harrington to Indiana in 2006.
This is just the seventh time in the past 23 years that Indiana has a lottery pick. But for every Miller or Kiki Vandeweghe, a prolific scorer also picked at No. 11, there has a Kedrick Brown or Trajan Langdon, players that didn't last long in the NBA taken at No. 11. Since 1980, No. 11 picks have combined to average 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists over their careers.
SEASON HIGHLIGHT: Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy both thrived in coach Jim O'Brien's up-tempo offense. The two averaged career highs in points and were the focal point of an offense that relied on three-point shooting. Both players attempted at least 389 three-pointers, with Granger making 171 and Dunleavy making 165.
TURNING POINT: The Pacers lost at least three straight games seven times this season. They would have likely made the playoffs if they had half as many losing streaks. Lack of mental and physical toughness is the reason behind the constant losing streaks. They lost more than 10 games where they had leads of at least 10 points.
