The Pacers have four rocks and a revolving door in their starting lineup, a confusing and unresolved issue they can live with so long as they keep winning.
So, coming off three consecutive victories, C.J. Miles' spot is safe. For now, anyway. Then again, it once appeared Monta Ellis had a firm grip on the position, and then it seemed to belong to Glenn Robinson III, so it's much too soon to declare it settled. It might not ever be, this season. Ellis wants to start, but has accepted coming off the bench. Robinson was eager to start early in the season, but is now comfortable as a reserve. Miles says he has no preference.
That gives plenty of options to Pacers coach Nate McMillan, who understandably isn't ready to make a long-term commitment to anyone for that “other” starting spot. McMillan's backcourt situation will become even more muddled when Rodney Stuckey returns to the mix, as he's expected to do for Wednesday's game in Orlando, and that will force another adjustment.
“We'll do what we need to do with that position,” McMillan said Monday.
Here's a look at the stats of each of the three part-time starters, in the games they have started this season. Player G Pts Reb Ast TO FG% 3FG% FT% Monta Ellis 23 9.3 3.2 3.7 2.3 .435 .313 .830 Glenn Robinson III 24 7.7 5.3 1.0 0.9 .415 .377 .714 C.J. Miles 7 8.3 2.9 0.6 0.6 .370 .378 1.000
Each one offers something unique. Ellis is by far the best playmaker of the three and most experienced, but is turnover prone and doesn't shoot well from the perimeter. Robinson is the best rebounder, best defender, and a solid 3-point shooter, but lacks the experience of the other two. Miles is the best 3-point shooter and, more importantly, the best 3-point shooting threat. His 3-point percentage over the course of the season, .413, leads the team.
McMillan considers Paul George to be the current “two” in his starting lineup, but that's splitting hairs. The difference between the shooting guard and small forward position in the Pacers' offense is negligible, little more than lining up on opposite sides of the court. Regardless of whether George is a two or three, he's going to get most of the shots and be assigned to the opponents' best wing scorer most of the game while point guard Jeff Teague handles the ball most of the time.
The trick is finding the player who best compliments the other starters, including Myles Turner and Thad Young.
Miles took over the starting role from Robinson for the game against New York on Jan. 23. The Pacers lost that one, but have since defeated Minnesota, Sacramento and Houston. That all but assures he'll have it again for Wednesday's game in Orlando.
His shooting has been typically spotty. He took nine shots against the Kings on Friday, all of them 3-pointers, and hit six. But he took five shots against the Rockets on Sunday, all of them 3-pointers, and missed them all. Whether he's making or missing, however, he'll draw defenders out to the perimeter, which creates more room for Teague and George to operate.
Miles said he has no preference between starting and playing off the bench — “I just work here,” he joked — but understands what he brings to the starting lineup.
“The spacing I provide,” he said. “Guys don't leave as much. If a guy's standing on my hip, I'm doing my job.”
Robinson has had two stints as a starter, first for George and then for Ellis. He thrived the first time around, averaging 15.2 points on 49 percent shooting. He didn't fare as well starting alongside George for 19 games, however, averaging 5.7 points on 37 percent shooting.
He's been much better since returning to the bench, averaging 7.5 points on 80 percent shooting (12-of-15) in the past four games. He was particularly effective on Sunday, hitting 6-of-8 shots, including both 3-pointers.
He made it clear earlier in the season he wants to start, but says now he's happy with any role.
“It's whatever Nate wants,” Robinson said. “That's his call. I'll just control what I can control and play as hard as I can. I take pride in preparing myself for whatever's there.”
Robinson acknowledges he's a more effective offensive player with the reserves. He doesn't have to defer as much with that group, and seems to have found a comfortable niche with Ellis handling the ball and Al Jefferson providing a post-up threat near the basket.
“I am a little more relaxed,” he said, “just because with the first unit we have so many scorers and I need to do different things. We need a scorer in that second unit, that's why I've been so aggressive.”
Miles knows what Robinson is experiencing. He's been a part-time starter in all but the first of his 12 NBA seasons, going as far back as the 2006-07 season when he started 13 games as a 19-year-old for Utah. He sees the benefit of the 23-year-old Robinson taking on a bigger role among the backups.
“He looks a lot more comfortable,” Miles said.
“In the first unit, he was trying to figure out who to be. When you're young, with a bunch of guys who are established, you don't really know who you're supposed to be yet. He's figuring it out. Am I a defensive guy, am I a running-the-floor guy, am I this, am I that? With all his tools, he's getting to use all of them in the second unit. He's not a stand-still shooter. He likes to cut, he likes to get to the basket, and he's got more space for it. In the first unit, some of the sets we run, and the guys he was playing with, some of those cuts you're running into another guy. He hasn't really got all the way to being cemented into playing with those guys and learning their tendencies yet. With the second unit, he's a little more free.”
Miles, meanwhile, appears to find comfort with the other veteran starters, and not having to be the primary scorer of the second unit. But should something change and he be asked to return to the bench, he's OK with that, too. He understands the complexities and nuances of the situation.
“It's about figuring out what group needs what the most and how you put it together,” he said. “Right now, outside shooting was the thing we needed and a little spacing in the first unit, and that's why they called my name.”
Right now.
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