The Indiana Pacers have been a tremendous story to start the season, as they are off to an 8-5 start, just a half-game back of first in the East, thanks to some sensational two-way play.
On offense, it’s All-Star Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon who lead the charge, averaging 21.7 and 22.2 points per game respectively, both shooting it with great efficiency to lead the Pacers. Victor Oladipo was their third 20 point per game scorer, but he was dealt to the Rockets in the four-team James Harden deal to net Indiana Caris LeVert, who is currently out indefinitely due to a mass discovered on his kidney in a team physical.
On defense, Myles Turner is a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, leading the NBA in blocks per game at 4.2 and the Pacers are vastly superior on the defensive end when he is on the court (DRtg of 103.8 on and 109.3 off). Unfortunately, Turner missed Sunday’s game against the Clippers with a hand injury and further testing revealed on Tuesday that he had suffered what The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports as a “slight” fracture that will cause him to miss an indefinite amount of time, with a re-evaluation to come soon.
Pacers center Myles Turner has a slight fracture in his right hand and will be re-evaluated in the coming days, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Turner is the NBA leader in blocked shots (4.2 per game).
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 19, 2021
The Pacers, now down Turner, LeVert, T.J. Warren, and Jeremy Lamb (the latter two still yet to make their season debuts) will have an uphill battle for the week to come in maintaining their sensational play from the start of the season on both ends. Indiana faces Dallas, Orlando, and then a double-header with the Raptors in the next week, all at home, and all four will be winnable but far less so than when they were at full strength. Hopefully Turner’s injury will heal quickly and he won’t miss too much more time beyond this initial week, but that remains to be determined based on how it’s healing and responds to time off.