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While the Indiana Pacers knew that this was going to be a tough year with injuries, it has been much worse than they had imagined. Six players under contract are out due to injuries. It has gotten so bad that the Pacers have been granted an injury exception, which they used to sign Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Obi Toppin is one of the players who is on the injury report. The key bench player was hurt in a game against the Timberwolves in what was first reported as a hamstring injury. Unfortunately, it ended up being much worse than that. The Pacers announced it was a stress fracture in his foot. Carlisle announced that Toppin will miss at least three months after surgery. He is going to travel to New York to have surgery to repair his fifth metatarsal, meaning he won’t return until around the All-Star break. Pacers Forward Obi Toppin to Undergo Surgery Toppin has turned into one of the best players that the Pacers have, especially on the offensive end of the court. He has played small-ball center for the team and done it well. Without Toppin, the Pacers are now down five of their top seven rotational players. Without Toppin, the Pacers were able to get their first win of the season against the Warriors over the weekend. They won that game 114-109 at home, finally getting that monkey off their back. Without Toppin as an option, the Pacers had to rely on unproven players to help them get the win. Indiana is still without Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, and T.J. McConnell. Of those players, Nembhard and McConnell are the closest to return. Carlisle defined Mathurin as week-to-week with a foot injury of his own. Without all of their top rotational players, it has been borderline impossible for the Pacers to get wins this season. They are simply too injured to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers Won’t Use Injuries as an Excuse For Losing Despite all of the injuries, the team won’t use the injuries as an excuse for not winning games. Carlisle detailed the laundry list of players who were out just a few days ago, and didn’t blink. They will continue to play hard with the guys they have. Adding Nembhard and McConnell back into the fold would greatly help the Pacers. After being one of the best teams in the league in assists a year ago, they are the third-worst team is assists per game. Clearly, the lack of ball-handlers is hurting the team. Once they get those guys back, the Pacers will be able to play more of an up-tempo game and not force-feed Pascal Siakam the ball in the post. Having healthy point guards should give them more offensive options, something they haven’t had all year long. When Toppin returns, the Indiana Pacers will have a definitive answer on how good of a team they will be when the playoffs arrive. They might be a lottery team, or still in the hunt for a playoff spot.
