With NBA training camps only a few weeks away, the Indiana Pacers will have to deal with some unfortunate injury news.
The team announced on Tuesday that forward T.J. Warren’s left foot stress fracture isn’t recovering as quickly as expected and he remains out indefinitely as a result. It’s unclear right now when exactly he’ll be able to return to the court.
Injury Update: T.J. Warren’s stress fracture in his left foot is healing during the rehabilitation process; but not at the pace previously anticipated. He remains out indefinitely, and further updates will be provided as warranted.https://t.co/gVDB4jHrJg
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) September 7, 2021
Warren is a key part of the Pacers, so this is a blow. He was sensational during the NBA Bubble in Orlando, but only played in four games last season after suffering the stress fracture early in the year. He underwent surgery for the injury on Jan. 4 and hasn’t played since.
It’s too early to say if this will impact Warren’s entire season again, but it’s worth keeping an eye on as the 2021-22 campaign gets closer. He’s a much-needed wing scorer for the Pacers heading into their first year under Rick Carlisle. There’s not really anyone on Indiana’s roster that can replace what he does as a perimeter scorer, sans more responsibility being placed onto Caris LeVert. And if Warren is going to miss any significant time, it’s going to hurt his ability to get comfortable in Carlisle’s system and playing under him in general.