It's pouring on the Pacers
Injuries, cold shooting, and lopsided losses continue to define Indiana’s first three weeks. Plus: Broadcast outage explained, Kevin Mackey passed away, PS&E honored & more.
When it rains it pours…
That’s what it must feel like for the Pacers right now.
Luke Combs’ hit country song comes to mind as you watch, wondering what could possibly happen next.
Here’s the snapshot of Indiana’s first three weeks: a 1-11 start, a concerning offensive profile, and being outscored by an average of 14.2 points per game — ahead of only Brooklyn and Washington, the league’s other one-win teams.
The biggest contributing factor is player health. The volume of injuries in the first month borders on unfair.
Just as one starter (Andrew Nembhard) and one rotation piece (T.J. McConnell) returned, two more went down: Aaron Nesmith and Cody Martin.
Friday is the final day of Martin’s 10-day contract, granted via the hardship exception because of the team’s injury crisis. He was added to the injury report before Thursday’s game, ruled out due to illness.
Indiana wrapped up a four-game West Coast swing on Thursday with a 133–98 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Worst of all, none of the games were close — decided by margins of 35, 24, 31, and 17.