Indiana Pacers: Is Jeremy Lamb on his way out of Indy?

Jeremy Lamb was expected to return from injury and help the Indiana Pacers on the offensive end of the floor this season. Instead, Lamb has continued to miss time throughout the season and his minutes have taken a hit from last year.

In 2019-20, Lamb was on the floor for 28 minutes per game and started in 42 of his 46 appearances before his season-ending knee injury. This season has been much different for the veteran scorer. Lamb’s minutes are down to just 21 per contest and he has started just eight times thanks to a crowded backcourt.

Is Jeremy Lamb’s time with the Indiana Pacers coming to an end?

Injuries have been too common for Jeremy Lamb this season as he’s been in and out of the lineup for long stretches at a time. He missed the first 13 games of the season before returning for the next 19. Since then, he’s been on and off the injury report with several inactives.

After 12 straight games without Lamb available, the Pacers may want to consider a future without him. Edmond Sumner has taken hold of those extra guard minutes and done a great job in the process. He has slid into the starting lineup and been a key piece to Indiana’s play-in hopes up to this point.

Oshae Brissett stepped up to the plate and helped the Pacers on the wing, something that really hindered Lamb when he was on the floor this season. Brissett’s defense is a massive upgrade from Jeremy Lamb, leaving Lamb with another hill to climb if he plans on returning.

Mix in a group of T.J. McConnell, Aaron Holiday, Justin Holiday, and Doug McDermott, and there’s really no way of easily getting Lamb back into the lineup as the season draws to an end. If he cannot get healthy in a hurry and make an immediate impact, we may have already seen the last of Jeremy Lamb as a Pacer.

While his experience as a scorer could be helpful in the playoffs, the lack of playoff hunting for this team and an injury-plagued season for Lamb makes it tough to imagine what his role will be moving forward. It’s time to see what the young guys can do when they see the floor.