The Pacers are headed into Monday night’s home game against the Hawks with a roster that’s been stripped down to the bare minimum.
Already dealing with a long list of absences, Indiana added three more names to the injury report for the second night of a back-to-back. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam will sit for rest, point guard Andrew Nembhard is out for cervical injury management and forward Aaron Nesmith is unavailable because of hamstring injury management.
That pushes the Pacers even deeper into crisis mode. They were already without All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, center Ivica Zubac, veteran point guard T.J.
McConnell, guard Ben Sheppard and forward Johnny Furphy. All five remain out, and Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam and Zubac were the team’s projected everyday starting five to open the season.
There’s still more uncertainty on the list. Forward Obi Toppin is questionable after missing the last two games with a lumbar sprain, while forward/center Larry Nance Jr. was added to the report and is doubtful because of an illness.
If Toppin and Nance Jr. can’t go, Indiana would be left with just seven players on the roster without an injury designation, and three of those are two-way contract players. The four standard contract players available are guard Quenton Jackson, wings Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jarace Walker, and center Jay Huff. The two-way group consists of forwards Kobe Brown and Jalen Slawson, plus point guard Braden Smith.
The timing couldn’t be much rougher. Indiana has dropped four straight and five of its last six, and the team is 2-5 after scoring only 90 points in Sunday’s loss to the previously winless Brooklyn Nets.
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Zubac has been limited in games for Indiana this year because of a left ankle injury, leaving the Pacers without the kind of return they hoped would soften the blow. Add in the injury to All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, and the combination has only sharpened the scrutiny on a move that is now being judged alongside the team's current struggles. [Read more 🡒]
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Randle still finished the game with 20 points, five rebounds and six assists, which only added to the attention around the moment. He also had his next matchup on his mind afterward, looking ahead to a game against his former team, the New York Knicks, while the Pacers were left dealing with the kind of viral scene that can linger well beyond the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Could Catch A Huge Break Against Atlanta Tonight
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For Indiana, the opening is obvious: a road game against a team trying to patch together its rotation can change quickly if the Pacers bring the right pace and pressure. Johnsons status is the biggest swing factor, especially with his uneven shooting this season, and the Hawks thin frontcourt and backcourt depth could leave them vulnerable if he cannot go. [Read more 🡒]