Indiana Pacers
Players Currently Out: T.J. McConnell (Wrist), Justin Holiday (Health Protocols), T.J. Warren (Foot)
Currently 10-16 on the season, the Indiana Pacers have really struggled to get anything going this NBA season and injuries seem to be a reoccurring thing for them yet again. Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren all missed time for the Pacers last season and so far this year, Domantas Sabonis is the only player for Indiana to have played in all 26 games.
T.J. Warren suffered a foot injury four games into the 2020-21 season and missed the rest of the year due to surgery. This past offseason, many expected Warren to be ready to make his season-debut sometime in November or early-December, but he has since suffered some setbacks.
We have not seen T.J. Warren play yet during the 2021-22 season and it is looking more and more likely that he will not be ready to go until sometime closer to late-January.
“T.J. Warren did have a scan (Wednesday) morning. It appears that the results are favorable and that there is continued healing,” Pacers’ head coach Rick Carlisle stated on December 1. “However, I can’t give you any information on a timetable or anything because the doctor who did the surgery, there’s gonna be a conference call in the next day or so for him to look at it to determine what the next step is and how aggressive the next step will be.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pacers Looking To Rebuild — Talk Trades For Sabonis, Turner, LeVert
On December 3, the Pacers and Carlisle gave a quick update on Warren, stating that will not have another scan until later this month, or early January, and would not play at any point in December. In the final year of his contract, T.J. Warren is a key player to watch on the Pacers’ roster, especially given the recent reports that they could be “open for business” at the trade deadline.
T.J. McConnell suffered a wrist injury just three minutes after taking the court against the Atlanta Hawks on December 1 and it was later revealed that the back-up point guard needed surgery. The Pacers announced on Tuesday that the 29-year-old guard underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist and that he will remain in a cast for 10-12 weeks before the medical team assesses his status and estimates a time for his return.
This timeline would hopefully put McConnell at a possible mid-March return after his rehab assignment and getting back in shape, but the Pacers are really going to struggle without his production in the second-unit. Not only is T.J. McConnell a great facilitator and passer, but he is also the “glue” for this team in the sense that he provides stability on both ends of the floor as well.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pacers Looking To Rebuild — Talk Trades For Sabonis, Turner, LeVert
Justin Holiday is currently in the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols relating to COVID and the Pacers are hopeful that he will return within the next week or two. Indiana is in a very bad spot right now given their injuries and losing streak, which is why we could expect some big changes to this team over the next several weeks of the NBA season.
Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert and Myles Turner are all reportedly on the trade block this season, so the Pacers’ front-office should expect quite a few calls between now and February’s trade deadline.
