T.J. McConnell suffered a hamstring injury during the Indiana Pacers' preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves and exited the game early. Unfortunately for him and the team, he is expected to miss roughly a month of action because of the injury, according to head coach Rick Carlisle.
T.J. McConnell (left hamstring) will be out at least a month, per Coach Carlisle. pic.twitter.com/m1P5lwFTOT
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 9, 2025
Pacers' point guard situation was bad even before T.J. McConnell's injury
Heading into this season, the Pacers were already dealing with a bad hand regarding their point guard position. Their star guard, Tyrese Haliburton, will miss the entire season as he recovers from an Achilles injury. And, with Andrew Nembhard now serving as the primary point guard, Indiana lost a lot of its depth at the position.
His role was not going to change much, but McConnell's importance to the Pacers' success grew this offseason.
With Nembhard taking on a much bigger role, the Pittsburgh native was going to be relied upon much more heavily to handle ball-handling and playmaking duties. However, given that he is 33 years old, the Pacers put too much on his plate.
Because of these depth issues, Indiana desperately needed a third point guard to use in the rotation, and it has tried to make that happen.
Last month, the Pacers signed veteran guard Monte Morris, though this did not come to fruition as he is dealing with a calf strain. Shortly after, they signed Delon Wright to a training camp contract, but the team released him on Thursday after he suffered a head injury against Minnesota.
The Pacers also signed Cam Payne to a training camp deal to add depth to their backcourt, but with McConnell's injury, he may now have to be Nembhard's primary backup. To say that this is less than ideal would be an understatement.
How the Pacers can address their point guard concerns
With McConnell out for at least a month, the Pacers are not in a good position. However, with the start of the regular season just a couple of weeks away, they need to make a decision quickly.
Even if Indiana opts to have Payne be its backup point guard behind Nembhard, it will still need to add another point guard into the mix. The team was already looking to do so anyway, and McConnell's injury only makes this a more urgent problem they need to address.
Internally, the Pacers have some options.
Marquette rookie Kam Jones looked good in summer league for the Pacers, but it still remains to be seen exactly which guard position he is going to play. Plus, giving him such a big role right away as a second-round rookie might do more harm than good, especially early on.
Additionally, the Pacers have RayJ Dennis and Quenton Jackson on two-way contracts, and they are both intriguing options.
Dennis had a solid performance in Indiana's first preseason game, recording a team-high 16 points on 4-for-11 shooting (including 4-for-6 from deep) and five assists in 19 minutes. As for Jackson, he has had more opportunities to showcase his value with the Pacers, and he had some great moments for the team last season.
If the Pacers choose to look for outside help, they are strapped for options, though there is one potentially enticing one in former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook.
Signing Westbrook may not be an ideal move for the Pacers to make as he does not fit their timeline. However, he needs a home, and Indiana needs a guard. It's not likely to happen, but this is still something worth monitoring.
The Pacers' outlook for this season is bleak, but they will still look to make some noise in the East anyway. However, in order for them to do so, they need to figure out what to do with their point guard situation, which was already bad to begin.
Indiana has options, but until McConnell makes his return to the court, it may be a while before the team can find its groove.