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The Indiana Pacers are entering a very intriguing and important offseason for them to make a couple big moves in order to solidify their playoff chances for next year. It was a rough 2014-15 season for them, especially on the injury front. Paul George missed the majority of the season with a broken leg, and there were many other ailments across the roster.
Larry Bird has made it fairly clear that the Pacers are looking to make some changes this offseason, and one of those changes is moving on from backup point guard C.J. Watson. He was an excellent player for the Pacers this season when he was healthy, but for the second year in a row he wasn’t able to stay on the court down the stretch.
Assuming the Pacers do part ways like Bird said in his season closing press conference, that would open up the need for a new backup. Mo Williams is a free agent this offseason, and the Pacers should pursue a deal with him.
He would add even more of an offensive punch than Watson did, and Williams also possesses the ability to make plays for his teammates. He is far from being a selfish player, but he can get buckets whenever his team needs him to step up into that role.
Williams spent this season split between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Charlotte Hornets, but he played much better in Charlotte. He averaged 14.2 points, 6.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game between the two teams. Those averages rose to 17.2 points, 6.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game with the Hornets.
His shooting numbers weren’t all that great with the Hornets at 39 percent from the floor overall and 33.7 percent from behind the three-point arc. Williams was asked to put up a high volume of shots, and lower percentages will happen when teams ask their players to do that.
At 32 years of age, Williams would fit in with the Pacers’ experience as they look to make a championship push. George will be back at full strength, and the Pacers have a very solid supporting cast around him. Williams would be a major upgrade over Watson on the offensive end of the court, but he would be a bit of a step down defensively.
Despite the defensive issues that Williams has had in his career, the Pacers would still improve by signing him. Offensive production was a positive for the Pacers this season, but Watson was a big part of that for the majority of the year.
Indiana could opt to simply bring Donald Sloan back in free agency, although he wouldn’t be the type of impact player that the Pacers would prefer. Williams would be a deadly pickup for them and is the type of competitor and leader that the Pacers like. The fact that he scored 52 points against them last year might pique their interest as well.
Evan Massey a writer for Rant Sports covering everything NFL, NBA, MLB and college sports related. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan.
