The 2017–18 Indiana Pacers season was Indiana's 51st season as a franchise and 42nd season in the NBA. For the first time since 2010, Paul George was not on the team's roster as he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the previous off-season. Despite that, the Pacers improved on their previous year's record and clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season. Their season featured the emergence of Victor Oladipo, who the Pacers received as part of the trade for George. The Pacers finished the regular season with a record of 48–34, which clinched the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Pacers faced the 4th seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who had previously swept the Pacers in the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs. The Pacers were once again defeated in the first round, losing to the Cavaliers in seven games.
T. J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu were both considered first round picks of the draft that were also teammates in their sole seasons at UCLA. Leaf was their starting power forward and that led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game, while also averaging 8.2 rebounds 2.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game as a starting. Leaf was also named a member of the All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. Anigbogu was a backup center for UCLA and averaged 4.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 13 minutes of action per game, he was projected as a potential first round pick for his athleticism and defensive capabilities; He dropped to the later half of the second round possibly due to a knee injury he sustained during a Pacers pre-draft workout. The Pacers selected Edmond Sumner as their final pick of the draft, a point guard who was also rehabilitating himself from a knee injury during the NBA draft process. In his junior season, Sumner was then the second leading scorer for Xavier but failed to complete the season after suffering a serious knee injury on a January 29, 2017 in a win against St. John's University. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game with the Musketeers in his final year. Edmond became the first ever Pacer in franchise history to sign a two-way contract.
