The Indiana Pacers have had a disappointing season filled with injuries this year. Multiple starters have been out for extended periods of time. Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire year with a torn Achilles tendon, which ended their title hopes before the year began.
Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Isaiah Jackson, T.J. McConnell, and Obi Toppin have all missed a large number of games. Jackson and Toppin are still out. Bennedict Mathurin missed 12 games due to a sprained toe. Now, he has injured his right thumb.
Mathurin missed a game against the Magic on Sunday, and it looks like he is going to miss another long period of time because of this injury.
GettyIndiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin drives the ball. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Pacers Get Bad Injury News for Bennedict Mathurin
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Mathurin will be out for a few weeks with a sprained right thumb. Without him, the Pacers lose one of their top scorers. His play recently has been disappointing, however. He had scored 20+ points just twice in the last nine games before missing the Magic game.
Right now, the Pacers sit dead last in the Eastern Conference standings. Not only that, but they are a full four games behind the Wizards for last place. They are the worst team in the NBA just a few months after coming the closest they have ever been to winning an NBA title.
Head coach Rick Carlisle noted Mathurin’s injury before the game against the Magic and let everyone know that it’s going to be a challenge for the team moving forward.
“When we’re down numbers, it becomes more challenging. We’ve gotten some guys back, but now Mathurin’s out for a while. We’ve just gotta go day to day, game to game, whistle to whistle and do the very best that we can.”
GettyIndiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin shoots the ball. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Pacers Are Poised for a Top Pick
With Indiana being so bad this season, they are poised to land one of the top picks in the NBA Draft. They are one of the few franchises to never have earned the number-one pick in the draft. That could change this season, although lottery odds never make it guaranteed.
At this point, the Pacers are pretty clearly one of the teams in the league tanking. It doesn’t make sense for them to try to win games at this point in the season. The hope around the team is that one season of pain will get them closer to making the NBA Finals again next season.
Before that happens, the Pacers might make a trade at the deadline. They still need a starting center that they can count on. Against the Magic, Indiana started Micah Potter, whom they signed to a temporary contract. The Pacers need someone who can really help them in the middle.
Mathurin could find himself on the trade block. He was not given a contract extension in the offseason, so he could be one of the assets that they decide to give out in exchange for a center.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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