Notable players the Pacers will avoid playing against to start the season

The day is finally here! Tonight, the Indiana Pacers kick off their highly-anticipated 2024-25 NBA season. Fresh off the heels of their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in a decade, the Pacers are eager to show the basketball world that they are a legitimate threat to make an NBA Finals appearance next year.

Indiana has a difficult stretch to begin the season, however. 11 of their first 13 opponents were all playoff teams last season. This includes a matchup against the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, the two teams who went head-to-head during the NBA Finals in June.

However, the Pacers are expected to face a few of these teams at less-than-full health, making the beginning of the season just a little bit easier for the Pacers.

Notable opposing players who will not play the Pacers during the first week of the season

10/23 @ Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson (illness)

After his solid rookie season was cut short, Thompson will assume a relatively large role in Detroit this season. However, Pistons fans will have to wait a little bit longer to see the forward return to action. Due to an illness, Thompson has already been ruled out for tonight's season opener. In his place, the Pistons will likely rely more heavily on Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and rookie Ron Holland.

10/25 @ New York Knicks: Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) / Mitchell Robinson (ankle)

The Knicks will be without two of their top big men on the roster in their battle against the Pistons.

Achiuwa suffered a hamstring injury in New York's preseason finale and is not expected to return until at least the beginning of November. As for Robinson, he is still rehabbing an ankle injury that will officially keep him out for the start of the season. Robinson's estimated return date is much longer than Achiuwa's as he will potentially miss the rest of the calendar year.

10/27 vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (knee) / Paul George (knee) (possibly)

Due to a knee injury, Embiid has already been ruled out for their season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. Additionally, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com, the 2023 MVP will not play in any games for Philadelphia for the first week of the season. This will rule him out for the 76ers' game in Indiana, the Pacers' first home game of the season.

Additionally, George has also been ruled out for Philadelphia's regular season opener due to a knee injury. However, his return timeline is less clear than Embiid's. There is no certainty he will miss this game against his former team, but there is no guarantee the other way either. His status is certainly worth monitoring for the next few days.

10/30 vs. Boston Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis (foot)

In an Eastern Conference Finals rematch, the Pacers will once again face the Celtics without Porzingis. The Latvian native underwent foot surgery for an injury he suffered during the NBA Finals. Though he has made good progress, Porzingis is not expected to return to the court until at least December.

11/4 @ Dallas Mavericks: Dante Exum (wrist)

Earlier this month, Exum underwent surgery on his right wrist. The guard, who enjoyed a career resurgence in Dallas last season, is expected to be out of action until late-January.