While not many positives come from a sudden hiatus of the NBA season, some Indiana Pacers could use the extra rest that comes as a result.
With the season put on hold, there is not much positive for Indiana Pacers fans to grasp onto. Let’s change that perspective today a little bit, shall we?
The NBA world came to a stop nearly two weeks ago after Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, and the rest of American life shortly followed. Professional sports leagues were some of the first things to be suspended with the NBA leading the way.
For all teams, this is impactful. Whether your team was firmly out of the playoff race, a leader in the conference, or competing but still putting the pieces together much like the Pacers, not having sports to turn to on a nightly basis is a challenging reality we are all facing.
The Pacers, before the season was suspended, had some challeges staying healthy this year, something that was a known issue and theme heading into the season. Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending injury last year that kept him out until 2020. He has appeared in just 13 games so far.
In total, the Pacers have missed about 175 man games throughout the year.
We could point to the negatives of no sports. It stinks! Sports are almost always there for us in times of societal struggle to find solace and reprieve in. These days, it’s not there. Players are going stir crazy, and we’re stuck inside to ponder the what-ifs of the 2019-20 season for now.
One of the only upsides of a suspended season is the rest that comes along with it. These Pacers are going to be the biggest beneficiaries of that.
There are more than the three mentioned — Jeremy Lamb is unfortunately out for the season following an ACL tear with other surrounding structural damage and will certainly benefit from rest, but given that he is out for the season, he isn’t mentioned — but these are the three biggest beneficiaries of unforeseen rest.
JaKarr Sampson
Nagging back and hip injuries have kept JaKarr Sampson in the injury reports as of late, something that may just be a signal of him needing some additional rest.
Sampson’s role with the Pacers is fairly minimal at the moment, he’s averaging fewer than 15 minutes per game on the year, but it never hurts to have your rotation guys healthy.
Sampson may get squeezed out of the rotation anyway once the playoffs arrive, but his ability to provide a jolt off the bench on the defensive end could prove fruitful in specific postseason matchups and situations.
Of Pacers with at least 300 minutes under their belt this season, Sampson has the fourth-best DBPM, but proves to be a sore spot in the Pacers offense. He shoots just above 15 percent from beyond the arc and scores just 4.2 points per game.
Given Sampson’s value in the playoffs would be standing in and being a strong force on the defensive end, having him in optimal physical condition would be best for Nate McMillan and the Pacers. If he’s not ready, he’ll get banged around and be a major liability.
Malcolm Brogdon
Malcolm Brogdon has never played a full season’s worth of games in his three and a half years so far, so it’s not a surprise that he’s only appeared in 48 games thus far for Indiana, but some rest will do him good.
Brogdon, just before the season was suspended, missed three consecutive games due to a left quad injury and was noted to be week-to-week by the team, so there’s reason to believe the injury is somewhat serious. He’s also dealt with a nagging hip injury and a concussion this season.
The most recent quad injury is the largest sign of concern for the Pacers. The rest of his injuries don’t seem to be repetitive or have any implication that Brogdon is injury prone, but rather just that he plays hard and sometimes needs to rest up and nurture his body back to health as a result. Being listed as week-to-week implies some sort of longevity with the current ailment.
In some ways, Brogdon’s quad issue is perfect timing. While it’s unfortunate that it happened and that the season is suspended due to the concerns over novel coronavirus, there’s a positive in that Brogdon has an indefinite amount of time to rest up and recover.
His reliable shooting and top-tier defense are necessities for the Pacers heading into the playoffs. Not having him available would be a major issue for the Pacers.
Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo is the obvious one here. As mentioned earlier, Oladipo went down with a brutal, season-ending quad injury in early 2019 and underwent surgery on January 28, 2019. He made his 2020 debut on January 29, hitting a clutch three to send the game to overtime, a game the Pacers would ultimately win.
Since coming back, Oladipo hasn’t totally been himself. His points, rebounds, and assists are all down per 36 minutes compared to last year.
Frankly, no one should have expected him to come right back to his old ways on day one, that expectation would be quite unrealistic.
Returning from such a lengthy period of time off and away from the game — and coming back to new teammates to get acclimated to — is a tough process. Some players returning from lengthy injuries such as Oladipo’s have often taken well beyond a season to get back to peak physical and cerebral condition. Gordon Hayward is a prime example with the Boston Celtics.
While no games currently happening doesn’t do Oladipo any good in terms of readjusting to the flow and cadence of being out there for NBA competition, more rest certainly helps reduce the strain on his recovering leg and other injuries. He’s missed a total of five games since returning from the injury, several due to right knee soreness.
Oladipo even played through some of that knee soreness, scoring 27 points against the Celtics in what could end up being his final game of the season if the NBA cancels the season outright, a decision Adam Silver and the league office are mulling over.
Oladipo playing through a knee injury so soon after coming back from another unrelated injury is suboptimal. This rest will hopefully help him put the knee up, relax, and come back at full strength.