Things have gone from bad to worse for the Indiana Pacers. Jeremy Lamb suffered a season-ending injury last night against the Raptors, now the Pacers are back to the drawing board.
Things have gone from bad to worse for Jeremy Lamb and the Indiana Pacers. Lamb suffered a season-ending injury last night against the Toronto Raptors, now the Pacers are back to the drawing board.
The Pacers suffered one of the worst losses in franchise history last night against the Raptors in Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors handed the Pacers a 127-81 beating.
However, the loss wouldn’t be the darkest moment from the night.
Shooting guard, Jeremy Lamb would suffer a season-ending series of injuries after taking an awkward fall while attacking the basket:
Indiana’s Jeremy Lamb has suffered a torn ACL, torn meniscus and fracture in his left knee.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 24, 2020
Now, the Pacers organization is at a crossroads with how to manage the rest of the season.
It is expected that Aaron Holiday will get extended minutes as the season moves forward. But now, Holiday has the pressure to be consistent.
Luckily, being in this position is familiar territory for the former first-round pick who has been the starting point guard when poor health has riddled the team.
Holiday has logged 20 starts so far this season thanks to the abundance of injuries.
Unfortunately, that won’t change anytime soon as the Pacers only had one game this season with a clean injury report.
Outside of Holiday, there is curiosity as to how the Pacers’ front office and coaching staff attack the void that is left by Lamb.
Edmond Sumner would deem to be a nice inclusion to the regular rotation, particularly on the defensive end.
But the guard is battling a sore left hip and has only made one appearance in the last nine games. That means there is potential for even more growing pains to fully reintegrate him back into the rotation.
The uncertainty is also coupled with the injury Victor Oladipo is currently facing. The star missed Sunday’s game due to back spasms and is now a game-time decision on Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets.
Time will tell if both Oladipo and Sumner will be available.
With the injury to Lamb, Pacers fans worldwide have been wanting Lance Stephenson back on the roster.
But that is easier said than done.
The Pacers currently don’t have a roster spot available which means that the addition of Stephenson would also come with subtraction.
It will be interesting to see if the Pacers’ front office considers making a roster transaction to bring Stephenson back to Indiana. That could include the release of one of the pieces on the bench.
A downside is resetting the team’s chemistry, which has been something that has occurred several times throughout this season.
It may come as a surprise if the Pacers don’t end up making a move for Stephenson or other available free agents, but the integrity of the team’s chemistry is what’s at stake.
The Pacers organization has some tough decisions to make in the coming days.
For now, the Pacers will operate with Holiday at the helm of the offense and hope to have Oladipo back in the mix. Until then, we will see if the Pacers’ roster as its currently constructed, can revert the onset of lackluster performances that have been evident over the past few weeks.