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Indiana Pacers’ David West to see a bump in scoring?

By Andrew Melnick

The Indiana Pacers lost their superstar player this offseason. David West has a rather grim outlook on the season as a result. Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Indiana Pacers lost their superstar player this offseason. David West has a rather grim outlook on the season as a result. Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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With guard Lance Stephenson now with the Charlotte Bobcats and swingman Paul George likely out for the season, the Indiana Pacers will have to look elsewhere for offense.

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Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders thinks power forward David West will see the biggest bump in scoring with George out and Stephenson in Charlotte.

"With neither Stephenson nor George scoring points for the Pacers this season, it’s hard to pinpoint who, exactly, will take the reins for this team offensively. George Hill seems like as good a guess as anybody since he’ll have the ball in his hands more often than anyone else, though David West is a much more consistent scorer and probably will be the guy that sees the biggest bump in scoring numbers in George’s absence. West was, in fact, the team’s second-leading scorer last season with 14 PPG, and there’s little reason to believe Indiana won’t feed him the ball once again this year. As their most reliable veteran, he’ll have no choice but to shoulder even more of the offensive load this year."

West will have to carry the load for the Pacers but with declining skills and at 34-years old, that’s a lot to ask for.

West averaged 14.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 48.8% from the floor, 26.7% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the free throw line. In his 11-year NBA career, the 18th-overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft has put up 15.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 25.6% from three and 82.5% from the charity stripe.

Be sure to check FanSided’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league as we get you ready for the start of the 2014-2015 season.

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