In Saturday night's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell suffered a right ankle sprain just 19 seconds into his time on the court. While there is no concrete update on the severity of McConnell's injury, there is cause for concern as he re-injured the same ankle that caused him to miss a couple of games late in February.
Furthermore, as if McConnell's injury was not bad enough on its own, the Pacers are also already down Tyrese Haliburton, who has missed each of the team's last two games due to a hip injury. As it stands, while he is listed as day-to-day, it is unknown when Haliburton will make his return.
The Pacers have a decision to make regarding Haliburton, assuming McConnell is out for any period of time. However, by all accounts, it is best for the team to play it as safe as possible down the stretch. If not, it could be detrimental to their short and long-term success.
The Pacers cannot overtax Tyrese Haliburton
Prior to his injury, Haliburton was playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career. In his seven games since the All-Star break, the All-NBA guard averaged 23.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 12 assists, and 2.6 steals. Additionally, he shot 60% from the field and 54.5% from beyond the arc. With McConnell out, Haliburton will be even more important once he returns. However, the Pacers must be smart with their decisions.
As it stands, the Pacers own the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and are just one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks. While climbing back up the standings would be a huge help for the Pacers ( especially since the No. 4 seed would give them home-court advantage for the first time since 2020), it is best to just play it safe and not overplay Haliburton upon his return in an attempt to do so.
Haliburton is important to the Pacers' success, and the team needs him at his best come playoff time. With a little over a month left in the regular season, every game is important for the Pacers from here on out. However, they are making the playoffs regardless, and they cannot overcompensate for McConnell's potential absence.
Regardless, it is still unknown exactly when McConnell or Haliburton will return. Until an update is announced, their statuses will be worth monitoring. In the meantime, the Pacers will likely rely more heavily on Andrew Nembhard to run the point and give more opportunities to players like RayJ Dennis and Quenton Jackson.