Injury Woes Continue for Indiana Pacers as Mathurin Ruled Out Against Minnesota

The Indiana Pacers are preparing for their most difficult challenge yet against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately for them, they’ll have to do it without their top scorer, Bennedict Mathurin. The young guard sprained his right big toe in the Pacers’ last game against the Memphis Grizzlies. This injury was just one factor in a brutally tough 128-103 road loss. Mathurin’s absence is a crushing blow, though. He dropped 26 points in only 28 minutes of that game, and now, his injury joins the growing list of issues the team is dealing with.

Mathurin’s injury comes as a crushing blow to the Pacers. After losing their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, mid-season last year and already reeling this season, it could be the perfect storm. Haliburton, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals, likely is out for the season. His absence has created a massive hole in the team’s starting lineup, which has drained the Jayhawks of their scoring and playmaking ability.

To compound the issue with Mathurin’s injury, the Pacers are dealing with other key players missing in action. Andrew Nembhard was listed with a left shoulder strain and was scratched again for the second straight game. Fellow wing Johnny Furphy stays out with a sore left foot, his second consecutive absence. Further compounding these issues, Taelon Peter isn’t available to play, being sidelined by a strained right groin. At this point the Pacers are missing seven players. This lack of bodies is severely hampering their roster depth as they try to repeat their 2022 title run as the Eastern Conference champions.

The team’s predicament is truly bleak, with injuries crippling the roster’s depth and breadth and any hope for a game-changing scheme on the court. The on-field coaching staff needs to adjust immediately. Beyond that, they’ll need the rest of their returning cast to raise their ceiling now that Mathurin is gone. At the same time, one of the most closely watched storylines by fans and analysts will be how the team manages its response to this most recent blow.