The Pacers need to finally let 24-year old center Roy Hibbert play 30+ minutes per game in 2011-12. Hibbert played in 81 games (80 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 27.7 minutes, 12.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game. He is developing into one of the better centers in the NBA, so the Pacers need to trust him and play him more. Hibbert has now played in 232 games (191 starts) in his first three years with the Pacers and he is averaging 22.8 minutes, 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Hibbert has a HUGE upside.

If the Pacers don’t sign a free agent or deal for a power forward, 26-year old Tyler Hansbrough could get his big shot in 2011-12 to show what he can really do. Hansbrough played in 70 games (29 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 21.9 minutes, 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game as he played much better than he did a a rookie in 2009-2010. Hansbrough has now played in 99 games (30 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 20.7 minutes, 10.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

28-year old Danny Granger is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He played in 79 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 35.0 minutes, 20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Granger has now played in 448 games (361 starts) in his first six years with the Pacers and he is averaging 33.2 minutes, 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. 21-year old Paul George is a player on the rise for the Pacers, but he will have to bide his time for now. George played in 61 games (19 starts) for the Pacers as a rookie last year and he averaged 20.7 minutes, 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game. 34-year old James Posey will be #3 in line at small forward for the Pacers in 2011-12. Posey played in 49 games (0 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 17.1 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He has now played in 864 games (479 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 26.9 minutes, 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

25-year old George Hill will likely be taking over as the starting shooting guard for the Pacers in 2011-12. Hill played in 76 games (5 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 28.3 minutes, 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He has now played in 231 games (55 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.6 minutes, 9.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Hill is a good offensive player and he can also fill in at point guard if anything happens to Darren Collison. 26-year old Brandon Rush will back up Hill this year. He played in 67 games (21 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 26.2 minutes, 9.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Rush has now played in 224 games (104 starts) in his first three years with the Pacers and he has averaged 27.0 minutes, 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. 30-year old Dahntay Jones is likely #3 in line behind Hill and Rush. Jones played in 45 games (2 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 6.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He has now played in 446 games (135 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.9 minutes, 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

The Pacers are expecting much more out of 24-year old point guard Darren Collison in 2011-12. He played in 79 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 29.9 minutes, 13.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Collison has now played in 155 games (116 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 28.8 minutes, 12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Pacers are likely going to give Collison more freedom offensively in 2011-12. 21-year old Lance Stephenson had a rough rookie year for the Pacers last season due to off-court problems. He played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 9.6 minutes, 3.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game on only 33.3% shooting from the floor. The Pacers acquired 25-year old George Hill from the Spurs during the draft last year with the idea of starting him at shooting guard. He can also give Collison a break at the point when he needs one.