Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman are back around the Pacers
Two players recovering from the same injury were back around the Pacers and notably accompanied the team on their latest away game in Miami.
There was a reason for Pacers fans to smile at Tuesday’s game.
During the second half of the Pacers’ annual home game on New Year’s Eve (a loss to the Bucks), a familiar face was back in the gym.
Isaiah Jackson, who has been out since the first of November with a torn Achilles that was suffered in New Orleans, was shown on the giant video board at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Pacers fans gave him a roaring cheer to welcome him back.
It’s important for Jackson, as well as James Wiseman, to be back around the team. Wiseman suffered the same injury, to the other foot (his left Achilles), just 10 days earlier as he played his first minutes as a Pacer on opening night
Then, they underwent the same procedure … from the same doctor … at the same hospital … and now the centers can rehab together.
On Dec. 28, Jackson posted an update walking around the facility on his Instagram. His right foot is in a boot, but it’s important to be weight bearing as quickly as possible.
But that’s not all.
I don’t ordinarily care for the photos of the players walking to the plane or leaving the team hotel. It clearly performs well because every team does it. What caught my attention in the Pacers’ Instagram post on Wednesday was a carousel of photos that included both Jackson and Wiseman heading to the plane bound for Miami.
I believe it was the first trip that they were on together since their injuries. It’s uplifting for them, now two months removed from surgery, to fully rejoin the team to begin 2025. And what better trip to do it than down to sunny Miami just as things are starting to become more wintry-like in Indy?
It provides a sense of normalcy and allows for them to feel part of something again — rather than left alone and isolated.
See Also: Orthopedic surgeon on Achilles tendon tears and what Jackson and Wiseman can expect
There’s plenty of room on the team Delta charter flights and traveling also allows for the two players to be around the medical staff, led by Josh Corbeil — the team’s longtime head athletic trainer who received a promotion to senior vice president of sports medicine and performance a few months ago.
Both Jackson, 22, and Wiseman, 23, are young and expected to make full recoveries. The team did not officially rule them out for the season, but that’s expected with this type of grueling injury. It takes time, but being young has its advantages.
Jackson is in a contract year, which complicates things for him and the Pacers this offseason. Wiseman, meanwhile, signed a two-year deal and his salary for this season becomes fully guaranteed in exactly one week (on Jan. 10).
That’s not all. Myles Turner, the 11th pick in 2015, will be due a new contract on July 1. He, too, is in a contract year — and negotiations cannot begin until after the NBA Finals.
Early-season injuries to second- and third-string centers on the depth chart gives the front office a lot to consider — both on the court and this upcoming summer. A new deal for the longest-tenured Pacer will start over $20 million per year, and the Pacers are right up against the luxury tax.
The Pacers (17-18) went into Miami and dominated the Heat en route to a 128-115 win on Thursday. Tyrese Haliburton, who has played some of his best basketball in Miami, finished with 33 points and a season-high 15 assists. As a team, the Pacers assists on 35 of 51 field goals while keeping their turnovers to eight.
As I wrote this week, they need consistent production from Haliburton on down.
Now they’re back home on Saturday, hosting the Phoenix Suns to begin a stretch with three of their next four games at home.