The defending Eastern Conference champs have been hit by yet another injury, this time losing Obi Toppin for the foreseeable future.
Head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters before Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks on opening night of the NBA Cup (Sportsnet+, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT) that the forward requires foot surgery and will likely be sidelined until February.
Toppin’s injury occurred during last Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, originally listed as a hamstring issue. That was later updated to a right-foot (fifth metatarsal) partial stress fracture.
The 27-year-old is averaging 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals through three appearances this season.
Indiana has been ravaged by injuries after entering the year without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who’s recovering from an Achilles tear in the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Canadian guards Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) and Bennedict Mathurin (toe) have played in three combined games. Both have already been ruled out against Atlanta on Friday, with Montreal’s Mathurin still considered week-to-week.
Meanwhile, veteran guard TJ McConnell (hamstring) is expected to miss a month and rookie guard Kam Jones is out for at least a week.
The Pacers, after winning 50 games for the first time in over a decade last season, have gone 0-4 to start the 2025-26 campaign.