Injuries have plagued the Indiana Pacers ever since Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and things are only continuing to get worse for the team.
Less than a week into the season, Indiana has dealt with injuries to Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, and Taelon Peter. This doesn't even factor in T.J. McConnell being on the shelf with a hamstring injury he suffered in preseason. Unfortunately for the Pacers, things are getting worse before they get better.
Obi Toppin exited Sunday's loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the third quarter due to right leg soreness and was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Injury Update: Obi Toppin (right leg soreness) will not return to tonight's game against Minnesota.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 27, 2025
Before leaving the game, the Dayton alum recorded nine points on 2-for-6 shooting, six rebounds, and a steal in 17 minutes. In his first two games of the season, he averaged 16 points on 43.3% shooting from the field, 7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and one steal in 33 minutes.
Pacers can't afford to lose Obi Toppin
The Pacers have been getting hit with the injury bug, and it seems like their luck is not turning around just yet. It remains to be seen just how severe Toppin's injury is, but it's far from a great situation for the team regardless.
Indiana had already lost a lot of its depth due to shifting its roster around following Haliburton's injury and Myles Turner's offseason departure. But with their plethora of injuries to key players, the Pacers have even more roster concerns.
Toppin is in line for possibly the biggest role of his Pacers career. Given the team's uncertain center situation, a lot of eyes are on the 27-year-old as a temporary solution as a small-ball center. Additionally, he is expected to be much more involved in the offense with this expanded role, and he has earned the opportunity.
This was especially true after Indiana's slew of injuries to begin the season. However, if he is set to miss any time, this could be a big problem for Toppin and the Pacers. He has gotten off to a good start to the season, and the Pacers need him to stay healthy to maximize their chances of potentially making the playoffs.
It is additionally more concerning given that the Brooklyn native has only missed three games throughout his first two seasons with the Pacers. He rarely misses time, so for him to have to leave a game early due to injury could indicate that this is a real problem.
In Toppin's place, the team would certainly rely more heavily on Jarace Walker, and they may incorporate more of Tony Bradley and/or James Wiseman at center.
Indiana's season has begun just as poorly as it possibly could have. If Pacers fans learned anything about the team last year, it's that they will remain resilient no matter how bad it gets. However, until they get things back on track, the fanbase has every reason to be pessimistic about their outlook.