Indiana Pacers wing Johnny Furphy suffered a knee injury during their loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday and was carried off in a wheelchair into the locker room. On Monday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the Australian native tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
In his second NBA season, Furphy averaged 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 47% from the field in 35 games (including 21 starts). While his numbers aren't jaw-dropping, the Kansas alum looked way better than he did last season. He became a much better scorer, rebounder, and defender this season, and he looked much more physical and decisive on the court.
There is a lot to like about Furphy's outlook in Indiana, and there's a reason the team and the fanbase are excited about what he can blossom into moving forward. Unfortunately, they will have to wait until next season to see where he goes from here.
Johnny Furphy's injury is just latest blow to Pacers' season
Everybody knows about Tyrese Haliburton's injury. He tore his Achilles in Game 7 of last year's NBA Finals and will miss the entirety of this season. Because of this, it was widely expected that Indiana would take a backseat in the East. They have done exactly that, but it's been even worse than anybody could have predicted.
Just before this year's All-Star break, the Pacers are 13-40. They own the worst record in the East, and only the 12-43 Sacramento Kings have a worse record in the league than they do. Additionally, according to Basketball-Reference.com, their 109.4 offensive rating is the worst in the NBA, and their 117.2 defensive rating ranks 21st.
Most people thought the Pacers would be bad, but nobody thought they would be this bad.
To be fair, a lot of their shortcomings this season have to do with the handful of injuries they have had to deal with. Obviously, Haliburton and now Furphy will be on the shelf for the remainder of the season, but the Pacers have been without multiple key players at different points of the season.
Obi Toppin has been out since the third game of the season because of a foot injury. Andrew Nembhard sustained a shoulder injury on opening night and missed the next seven games. Aaron Nesmith missed over a month of play because of a knee injury. T.J. McConnell missed the first 10 games of the season because of a hamstring injury. And though he's not with the team anymore, Bennedict Mathurin has played just 28 games so far this season.
The Pacers have a bright future and should be able to re-enter the title picture as soon as next season. But until then, they will look to navigate through what has been an incredibly disappointing season so far.