Pacers' biggest flaw gets worse after latest injury

In last night's season opener, Indiana Pacers big man James Wiseman suffered a non-contact injury in the first quarter. Wiseman, who recorded six points in his debut with the team, was ruled out for the rest of the game very early on. On Thursday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that it is a torn Achilles injury for Wiseman, though there is no current update on a recovery timetable.

To make things worse for the Pacers, they were already missing center Isaiah Jackson, who was inactive in last night's victory against the Detroit Pistons due to a groin injury. Furthermore, Jackson was dealing with an injury heading into training camp and missed the team's final preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets as well, though he is considered "day-to-day."

Even before these injuries, the Pacers lacked established center depth. Jackson and Wiseman were both fighting for the primary backup spot, though it was uncertain how either of them would do with a bigger opportunity in Indiana. As it stands, the Pacers do not have a healthy center besides Myles Turner, who is entering the final year of his contract.

The Pacers, of course, had a different backup center last season who left in free agency. After one game, it is way too soon to say the team should regret moving on from him, but it is clear that it would not hurt to still have him.

Jalen Smith looked great in his debut for the Chicago Bulls

After parts of three seasons in Indiana, Smith signed with the Bulls this offseason. Smith progressively became less important to the Pacers over time, which culminated in him losing his playoff minutes to Jackson last season. At the time, it seemed like the right call for both sides (and still could be). However, given his performance last night, it is easy to wish he was still with the team.

In his Bulls debut, the 24-year-old recorded 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting, five rebounds, and a steal in 17 minutes off the bench. Smith was the team's highest scorer off the bench and third-highest overall (only behind Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic).

Given that the Pacers only have one healthy center at the moment, it is easy to say that having Smith still on the team would be a huge positive for them. Regardless, the season is still young, and we still have no official word yet on how bad Wiseman's injury is. Nonetheless, depending on how Smith does in Chicago, moving on from him could become a mistake for the Pacers down the line.