Photo Contributed by Brayton Bowen Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks tipping off in an NBA Cup game on Oct. 31. The Hawks defeated the Pacers 128-108.
The Indiana Pacers continue to battle through a relentless wave of injuries, testing their depth and resilience. With nine players on the latest injury report, the team’s fight to stay competitive grows tougher each day.
The team’s challenges began before the season even tipped off. All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles tear in Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder and remains sidelined for the entire season. While a tough blow for the Pacers and their fans, there was initial optimism that the rest of the roster could carry the team going forward.
That optimism didn’t last. Early October brought more bad news: T.J. McConnell, the team’s veteran floor general, would miss at least a month with a hamstring injury, according to head coach Rick Carlisle. Just three games into the season, other key starters joined the injury list. Andrew Nembhard went down in the opener against the Thunder with a left shoulder strain, and one game later, Bennedict Mathurin hurt his toe in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies. Mathurin had been the Pacers’ leading scorer through the first two games, according to the IndyStar.
Fan favorite Obi Toppin added to the Pacers’ injury woes when he suffered a stress reaction in his foot during the third game of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. According to ESPN, Toppin underwent surgery and is expected to miss at least three months.
Second year forward Johnny Furphy is set to miss out on multiple games due to a sore left foot, and part-time starter Quenton Jackson will be out for “a while” due to a hamstring injury, according to Carlisle. Both of the Pacers’ 2025 draft picks, Kam Jones and Taelon Peter, are also on the injury report, as Jones is sidelined with a back injury, and Peter with a groin injury.
The Pacers’ injury woes have forced the front office into constant motion, shuffling the roster in search of stability. In a move that reflects just how turbulent things have been, recently signed three-time NBA Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung was waived less than two weeks after joining the team.
McClung became the most recent victim of the Pacers’ roster shuffle. The team has also cycled through five other players during this injury stretch, including Delon Wright, Jalen Slawson, Cameron Payne, Gabe McGlothan and James Wiseman, per Yahoo Sports.
With the roster in constant flux and injuries piling up, Indiana is left scrambling just to field a competitive lineup. As the Pacers sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 1-12 record, the coming weeks will be a true test of depth, resilience and whether this season can still be salvaged.
Continue Reading