Which Indiana Pacers Player Has the Most Upside Right Now?

Determining which Indiana Pacers player has the most upside right now should help fans identify the team's next rising star. 

A Paul George in the making. 

Or how about a player who can make the leap from obscurity to potential stardom the way ex-Pacer Lance Stephenson did when Danny Granger was injured two seasons ago?

Better yet, this player could be in the mold of a Jalen Rose, who was a so-so forward during the Larry Brown era but went on to become a vital cog of that Indy team under Larry Bird which made the NBA Finals in 2000—the same Jalen Rose who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award that year. 

This Pacer with the most upside could be the forgotten Chris Copeland, who languished on the bench in his first year in Indiana. It could also be second-year man Solomon Hill, who, despite his 1.7 points-per-game average in 2013-14, has the versatility to break through this season. 

How about Croatian hotshot Damjan Rudez or even backup power forward Lavoy Allen? 

The final verdict should be intriguing. 

For the purposes of this article, players will be analyzed based on their potential to contribute to the Pacers' 2014-15 NBA season. Only those Pacers with guaranteed contracts, are 30 years of age or younger and with a maximum two-year stint with Indy will be discussed.  

The Guard Spot 

Indiana's backcourt takes on a different feel in 2014-15 now that Stephenson signed with the Charlotte Hornets this summer. 

One of those players who has the potential to fill this huge void is second-year guard-forward Solomon Hill. 

Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss gives Indy's fans an idea of what to expect from Hill this season:

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Hill, for his part, believes that watching George and Stephenson and the other veterans in front of him last year helped him grow as a player. 

He wants to contribute on the offensive end, and worked hard on fine-tuning his 3-point shot over the summer, but Hill knows that the bulk of his work this season will come on the defensive end. 

Vogel has said multiple times that Hill possesses the potential to become an 'elite defender' and singled the second-year forward out on media day as a player capable of filling George's shoes as the Blue-and-Gold's top perimeter defender. 

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Hill played sparingly last year (8.1 minutes per game in 28 outings), but if he's given ample opportunities in 2014-15, he should contribute on both ends of the floor.

Another Pacer who could potentially fill in for Stephenson at the 2-guard spot is former Detroit Piston Rodney Stuckey, who, according to Vogel (per Hotchkiss) is "going to give us a lot of scoring punch, and quality play and veteran experience at the wing spot."

Stuckey is a good shot-creator and penetrator who provides much-needed spunk and energy. However, his perimeter game (especially his career .286 three-point shooting average) leaves much to be desired. 

On the other hand, C.J. Miles is a 10-year veteran lefty guard-forward who is known for his three-point marksmanship (he has averaged .350 from deep for his career). He is also a decent defender. He's not the slasher Stuckey is, so their offensive games complement one another. 

WTHR's Bob Kravitz assesses Stuckey's and Miles' upsides:

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You don't lose your best player (George) and an emerging young talent (Stephenson) and get better—or even stay the same. C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey are both professionals with some talent, and both have torched the Pacers at different times in recent years, but they're not George or Stephenson. 

...Stuckey is a nice player with a strong mid-range game and can get to the basket, but he's not PG or Lance. C.J. Miles is an effective long-range bomber and has torched the Pacers in the past, but he's not PG or Lance. 

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Kravitz's analysis is spot-on. Neither Stuckey nor Miles are as good as PG and Stephenson. However, both new Pacers are consummate pros who can contribute immediately and mentor the younger guys like Solomon Hill.

The last two guards in the discussion are backup point guards C.J. Watson and Donald Sloan. Watson showed us he can still snipe from the outside (he shot 43.7 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three-point range last season).

Although the Pacers were just 8-11 in the 19 games he missed in 2013-14, he wasn't as instrumental in the postseason—his production declined as the playoffs wore on. He averaged just 3.7 points on 36.8 percent shooting against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.  

Indy can still get some production from him, although it may be safe to say we have already seen his best days in the NBA. 

As for Sloan, he showed some promise in running the offense but remained an erratic shooter (37.6 from the field last season). Sloan was one of the Pacers' bright spots in this year's Orlando Summer League. Until he gets more playing time, fans can only wonder what he may be capable of. 

Forward and Center 

With George out of commission, now is Chris Copeland's time to shine.

Copeland was one Pacer who made the most of the few opportunities he had. He didn't see much action last season, as he logged an average of 6.5 minutes and just 2.9 shots per contest, per 8Points9Seconds.com's Wes Goldberg. However, that translates to a production of 20.8 points per game if Copeland averaged 36 minutes an outing, says Goldberg. 

Think about that for a moment. 

If Vogel were to start Copeland, he would average around 30-36 minutes per game. The few times he saw action last year should be just a taste of what's to come this season—a season when he will be a full-time small forward. Pacers.com's Mark Montieth interviewed Vogel on Oct. 1 to get his take on Copeland's upside and ability to play on both ends of the floor:

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Even though he's not a natural small forward, he's capable if he's made to learn those responsibilities full-time. The times we tried him there last year, we didn't give him a high volume of reps in training camp and practice. If he failed last year, I don't think it's solely on him. He needs a lot of time and reps to learn that position.

I think he can do well enough (on defense) to let his offense shine. Is he going to be Paul George? He's not going to be Paul George. He's got to work at it. He's got to bring a great deal of spirit and competitiveness to that end and pick up his assignments. 

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In the past two years, we have seen what Copeland is capable of on offense. Now that he'll be given more opportunities this season, he can be a Chuck Person on offense and, to a lesser extent, a Derrick McKey on defense if he keeps on working on that facet of his game. 

Montieth also had a word with new Pacers forward Damjan Rudez on Pacers media day on Sept. 29. Rudez, a career 40 percent three-point shooter while playing in Europe, discussed his transition to the more physical NBA game. He said,"Pretty much it's basketball. I don't think it's nuclear science. Of course there's going to be aspects I have to adjust or get better. With my shooting, I think I'll make a smooth transition." 

As seen in the above video, Rudez is good at moving without the ball and scoring in transition. Just like Copeland, his defense is also suspect (0.43 steals per game and 0.17 blocks per game in 2013-14 with CAI Zaragoza, per RealGM.com). It may take him a year or two to adjust to the NBA style of play. Indiana is a team which preaches defense, so fans are hoping this Croatian hotshot is a fast learner in that regard. 

Another newcomer is forward-center Shayne Whittington, a stretch 4 whose guaranteed contract kicks in on Jan. 1, per Montieth. According to DraftExpress.com, it was during April's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament when Whittington really showed his mettle on offense, knocking down 10 of 22 three-point attempts.

The website describes him as limited defensively, and the fact that he is recovering from a broken fibula (which Montieth mentions in his report) might hamper his progress. Nonetheless, Whittington is an intriguing prospect in an already-crowded roster of power forwards which includes Luis Scola, David West, Rudez and Allen.

For his part, Allen proved he can score off the bench while he was still with the Philadelphia 76ers. He didn't get to do that all that much with the Pacers, though, as he averaged just 2.9 points in eight minutes a game last season. Pacers fans probably won't get to see much of him this season, as West and Scola are expected to go one-two in the power forward rotation once again. 

The Final Say 

As far as the guards are concerned, Stuckey and Miles are seasoned NBA veterans who have already reached their peak. The same thing can be said about C.J. Watson, whose play has diminished. Donald Sloan has shown some promise, but he can never reach his full potential until he shows consistency on offense. 

Regarding Indy's front line, Damjan Rudez has the potential to provide the Pacers with instant offense off the bench. However, this 28-year-old rookie is not polished defensively, so he is still a work in progress. Shayne Whittington and Lavoy Allen have what it takes to contribute, but certain issues (injuries and lack of playing time, respectively) are hindering their progress in the NBA. 

This leaves us with Solomon Hill and Chris Copeland. 

Both men rarely saw action last year but have a golden opportunity to show what they're made of. So much has been said about Hill's versatility and ability to play lockdown defense, and until such time he proves his worth in the NBA, it will all just go down as hype. There's no better time than now to show everyone he belongs in the pros.

We've all seen what Chris Copeland can do on offense dating back to his days with the New York Knicks. Let's hope he can bring it on both ends of the court as a full-time small forward in the 2014-15 season. Both he and Hill have tremendous upside, but the edge has to go to Copeland by virtue of the bigger impact he has made during his first two NBA seasons. 

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are current as of Oct. 2 and are courtesy of ESPN.