8 points, 9 seconds
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Myles Turner will miss the next two games with a concussion

By Ben Gibson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 18: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball during the season game against the Brooklyn Nets on October 18, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 18: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball during the season game against the Brooklyn Nets on October 18, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Myles Turner is listed as out on the injury report, meaning the Indiana Pacers might see more Domantas Sabonis and Al Jefferson in their rotations.

The Indiana Pacers opening night win was fun, but it didn’t take long for bad news to find them once again. Myles Turner was listed as doubtful and then downgraded to out for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The news went from bad to worse as what was originally called a sore neck became that and a concussion, a much more serious issue. The Pacers announced he will miss the game against the Miami Heat on Saturday as well.

According to coach Nate McMillan, the injury came when Turner was hit on a screen play late in the game against the Nets. Turner finished the game but the injuries became more apparent after the game.

This means the Pacers will start Domantas Sabonis as the starting center.

It won’t be easy to replace Turner’s 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks from opening night, but Sabonis tallied 16 points and 7 rebounds of his own. Sabonis was also a perfect 7 of 7 from the field to open the season.

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Sabonis did next to nothing as a rookie with the Oklahoma City Thunder — as rookies are wont to do — but in what little we’ve seen of him in a Pacers uniform he’s looked much more capable of sticking around the NBA. His defense was great as a rookie with the Thunder, but his offense lagged behind to the point it was erasing his defensive contributions.

With Sabonis as the starter, that means we will get our first glimpse of Al Jefferson this season. He didn’t see the floor on Wednesday, but Jusuf Nurkic and the Trail Blazers serve as a brutal litmus test for Jefferson’s future in the NBA.

When Jefferson slimmed down this summer for the sake of conditioning, he gave up much of the bulk he used to bully other players in the post. He still carried his weight offensively last season but his defense was as bad as ever. Now his smaller size will make playing defense and even tougher task as physicality will rarely be on his side.

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Hopefully, Turner can return from this as soon as possible. However, concussions are a serious issue so there is no need to bring him back until he is fully ready.

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