The Pacers will have more help available when they start playing again on Friday.
The Pacers were back in the gym on Wednesday, knocking off the NBA All-Star break rust while preparing to take on the OKC Thunder on Friday at the Fieldhouse.
Considering the bloated injury list prior to the break, there was plenty of interest in which players returned to action and which were still sidelined after the extended time off. A high level review reveals that the Pacers are a little healthier but still missing key players ahead of resuming regular season play. Here’s how Rick Carlisle laid out the key updates on Wednesday.
Coach Carlisle provided the following updates:
Isaiah Jackson (right ankle) was a full participant.
Chris Duarte (left toe) did not practice.
T.J Warren (left foot) participated, but there’s no timetable for his return.
Myles Turner (left foot) is “still a couple weeks out.”
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 23, 2022
Oh, and not included in this update is the fact that Malcolm Brogdon practiced and expects to play on Friday. So, the bright and shiny objects drawing vying for your attention here are IJax and Brogdon returning.
But you have to love the semantic gymnastics involved with the updates which makes it appear that fans and foes alike may be in for a bit of a shell game of who is available over the remainder of the regular season.
So for negative take aways, it appears to be weeks not days, but maybe not months (hey, I didn’t start this!) until we see Myles Turner, again. Considering, Chris Duarte didn’t practice, his status for playing on Friday doesn’t look good, but that doesn’t mean he is ruled out.
Speaking of weeks and not months, TJ Warren must be inching closer to something resembling playing actual basketball. I mean, he keeps showing up at the St. Vincent center and looking like he can play basketball. Still, after this long grind of recovery, no sense assuming TJW will return until he steps on the floor for his first live possession.
So back to the shiny news the Pacers were pushing at practice, which was the return of Brogdon to play alongside Tyrese Haliburton. Well, I’ll let you hear them hype it up, including Rick Carlisle considering not needing to call plays. Hmm, take the same approach mentioned for TJW. Let’s see it.
“I love it…I think they’re a perfect compliment to one another.”
Coach Carlisle, @MalcolmBrogdon7 & @TyHaliburton22 talk about the new backcourt pairing pic.twitter.com/HYZhamKpge
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 24, 2022
How do you think Brogdon and Haliburton will play together? Should one primarily play point guard, or both just get it and go? Please opine in the comments.