Taelon Peter looked solid in his NBA debut for the Indiana Pacers, but his fortune was not as good in his second career game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Just two minutes into his appearance in Saturday's game, Peter exited due to a sore right groin. He did not record a single counting stat against Memphis.
The team announced that he will not return to the game, but the Liberty alum's injury adds to another big picture problem for the Pacers that they seemingly cannot fix.
Injury Update: Taelon Peter (sore right groin) will not return to tonight's game in Memphis.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 26, 2025
Indiana will be without Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season as he recovers from an Achilles injury, but it's almost like the rest of the team's point guards are suffering from the injury bug as well.
Second-round rookie Kam Jones suffered a back injury in the offseason that sidelined him for the entire preseason. He is still on the sidelines and will be re-evaluated on Nov. 9. However, things did not stop there for the Pacers.
T.J. McConnell and Quenton Jackson each suffered hamstring injuries during preseason and remain on the shelf. Additionally, Andrew Nembhard, who is expected to be the Pacers' starting point guard this season, suffered a shoulder injury during the team's season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Indiana has a major point guard problem right now, and it will impact its outlook for the rest of the season. With Peter now injured, it is looking like things are getting worse before they get better.
How the Pacers can solve their point guard problem
At some point or another, the Pacers are going to see all their injured point guards back on the court. However, until then, they need to find a way to navigate through it.
Currently, the Pacers have two decent point guard options in RayJ Dennis and Ben Sheppard (it's not his natural position, but he has played some point guard to begin the season). For the time being, it is highly likely that the team will continue to rely on these two to step up.
Something else to consider is that Indiana has numerous players who can handle the ball and bring it up the court. This especially includes players like Pascal Siakam, Jarace Walker, and Bennedict Mathurin. Though they will not be tasked with taking on traditional playmaking and facilitating roles, it would not be a shock for Indiana to utilize them each much more as a primary ball-handler. It's not much, but this could help them stay afloat until they get some of their guards back.
There is a possibility that the Pacers will look externally for another point guard, such as by way of the free agent market, but that wouldn't be a good idea. They already have a full roster, and bringing another player in would require moving on from another. For what should be a short-term problem for Indiana, this is not the best solution.
Hopefully for Peter and the Pacers, his injury is not too severe. After a solid showing in summer league and preseason, he has seemingly carried that momentum into the regular season. The 23-year-old looks comfortable in Rick Carlisle's system, and there are reasons to believe he can be a long-term contributor for the team.
Until there is more clarity, Peter's status will be worth monitoring as the Pacers look to get things back on track.