The Indiana Pacers have had horrible luck when it comes to health and injury issues over the last few years. Last season alone, Indiana had to play stretches without Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, Caris LeVert and plenty of other key players. Already this year, the team has been bitten by the injury bug.

While the injury concerns still linger for the Pacers, an update on Brogdon is providing some optimism for the team.

According to head coach Rick Carlisle, while there is no guarantee, it seems that Brogdon has a good chance to play in the team’s regular season opener against the Charlotte Hornets.

Brogdon is once again projected to be the starting point guard for the Pacers this season, although the team may look to play him off the ball a bit more than last year. He is still one of the key pieces for this team. If he is unable to play, the Pacers are going to struggle mightily on the offensive side of the ball.

Last season, Brogdon ended up averaging 21.2 points per game to go along with 5.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds. He shot 45.3 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 38.8 percent of his three-point attempts.

Another point to note is that Brogdon’s name has come up often this offseason in trade rumors. His name has been included in some speculation about a potential trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons. Brogdon may not end up getting moved, but the Pacers need him healthy for one reason or another.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the Pacers are expected to be a fringe playoff contender in the East. They have a good core of Brogdon, LeVert, TJ Warren (who is currently injured and unable to play), Turner, Domantas Sabonis, T.J. McConnell and more. Assuming Brogdon is healthy and the rest of the roster can stay relatively healthy, they could be a team to watch.

All of that being said, this is great news for the Pacers. Malcolm Brogdon is needed on the court and it looks like this injury won’t keep him out too long-term.