1996–97 Indiana Pacers season

The 1996–97 Indiana Pacers season was the 21st season for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association, and their 30th season as a franchise.^[1] During the off-season, the Pacers acquired Jalen Rose and Reggie Williams from the Denver Nuggets;^[2][3][4] the team also received the tenth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft from the Nuggets, and selected center Erick Dampier out of Mississippi State University.^[5][6][7] However, after only playing just two games for the Pacers, Williams was then traded to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Vincent Askew.^[8][9][10]

The Pacers dealt with injuries all season long, as Rik Smits only played 52 games due to a foot injury,^[11][12][13] while Derrick McKey only appeared in just 50 games due to a foot injury, and a ruptured Achilles tendon,^[14][15] and Haywoode Workman was out with a season-ending knee injury after only playing just four games.^[16][17] With the addition of Rose and Dampier, the Pacers struggled losing eight of their first eleven games of the regular season, then posted a five-game winning streak afterwards, but continued to struggle playing around .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, holding a 23–23 record at the All-Star break.^[18] At mid-season, the team traded Askew, and Eddie Johnson to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for former Pacers guard Mark Jackson, and former Pacers forward LaSalle Thompson.^[19][20][21] Despite the return of Jackson after a brief stint with the Nuggets, the Pacers finished in sixth place in the Central Division with a disappointing 39–43 record, and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1988–89 season.^[22]

Reggie Miller led the Pacers in scoring with 21.6 points per game, and also led the league with 229 three-point field goals, while Smits averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and Antonio Davis provided the team with 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Dale Davis provided with 10.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, while second-year guard Travis Best contributed 9.9 points, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, Jackson averaged 9.0 points, 9.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 30 games after the trade, and McKey contributed 8.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Rose contributed 7.3 points per game, while Duane Ferrell provided with 6.4 points per game, and Dampier averaged 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.^[23]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Dampier was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team.^[24][25] Despite a stellar season, Miller was not selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game.^[26] The Pacers finished 21st in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 636,735 at the Market Square Arena during the regular season.^[23][27]

Following the season, head coach Larry Brown, who won his 600th game during the regular season,^[28] was forced to resign after coaching the Pacers for four seasons;^[29][30][31] he would later on take a coaching job with the Philadelphia 76ers.^[32][33][34] Meanwhile, Dampier and Ferrell were both traded to the Golden State Warriors,^[35][36][37] and Thompson retired after playing in his second stint with the Pacers.