The Pacers are clicking, but even in the midst of their 15-game home win-streak, a certain level of doubt continues to linger. 
The Pacers’ bench is not exactly teeming with that scoring punch that plagued them in last year’s playoffs.
They will likely improve upon the return of Danny Granger – set to return sometime after the All-Star break – but Granger doesn’t solve their issues of poor bench play and that missing sharpshooter to spread the floor –aka Kryptonite against the Miami Heat.
(Related: Who will have a bigger impact upon their return: Danny Granger or Derrick Rose?)
Sure, once Granger returns, Stephenson will become the sixth man, and provide a nice spark off the bench, but that’s as far as it goes. And while Granger and Stephenson are both impactful players, along with George, their styles become a bit redundant.
When the game slows down in the playoffs, not having that knockdown shooter with a quick release will allow teams to clog the lanes, stagnating their offense as seen last year.
And while Roy Hibbert is great at protecting the rim and altering shots, he has become almost useless on the offensive end – to be fair he posted 18 points and 14 rebounds last night, but only his 11th double-double of the season — and there is nobody off the bench to replace him. He’s averaging an underwhelming 9.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game on a ghastly 41 percent shooting.
(Around the NBA: Luke Ridnour being shopped by Wolves)
Even more troubling, though, is that Hibbert has been even worse against the three teams they need him most — Miami, New York and Chicago – averaging less than eight points on 38 percent shooting.
For a young and blossoming team, Hibbert is becoming a liability strategically and financially.