The Indiana Pacers got a boost before their Orlando bubble schedule began when All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who was not expected to take the floor as he continued to work his way back to 100 percent from the quad tear that delayed his 2020 debut until January, reversed course and decided to play. But while that’s excellent news, a separate Pacers star has been dealing with an injury issue in recent days that has now caused him to leave the bubble altogether.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis has to leave the bubble in the hopes of finding treatment for a foot injury that has left him hampered recently.
Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis has a signficant foot injury and will leave the Orlando bubble to seek treatment from a specialist, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2020
Earlier this week, Sabonis discussed the injury, which had been described as plantar fasciitis. The former Gonzaga standout explained that he’s taking a wait-and-see approach with the situation.
“With this kind of injury, you can’t really circle (a date),” Sabonis said, per Ethan Sears of the Indianapolis Star. “Every person is different how long it heals, how long it doesn’t. We’re just trying to do the best we can with everything we have here.”
It goes without saying, but losing Sabonis — who is averaging career-highs in scoring (18.5 points per game) and rebounding (12.4 boards per game) — would be an absolutely brutal blow for the Pacers, especially following such optimistic news about Oladipo. Indiana’s bubble slate kicks off next Saturday when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a game with major seeding implications ahead of the Eastern Conference playoffs.