Indiana Pacers: Can They Power Through Injuries?
By Evan Massey
Oct 23, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel calls out to his team during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Pacers win 88-79. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
The Indiana Pacers have been struck by a major case of injury problems this season already, and are facing a season opener without quite a few of their key players. Paul George obviously will likely miss the entire regular season due to broken leg that he suffered while playing for Team USA, and other injuries have begun to pile up. David West, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Watson, and George Hill are all currently sidelined due to injuries with the season opener this week.
Needless to say, those injuries are going to be tough to overcome if they miss any serious amount of time. They open the season on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, and there is some doubt that West, Stuckey, and George Hill will be available.
It doesn’t seem likely that the Pacers would be able to stay afloat for long with West and Hill especially, and Stuckey will be an extremely important piece as well. Missing three starters plus Paul George would be too much.
Indiana needs to hope that a couple of their key players are able to get back on the court prior to Wednesday night, or they’ll be in serious trouble. Philadelphia may not be a good basketball team, but neither will the Pacers without either Hill or West on the court.
There is no question that the Pacers have some talent on the roster, but even talent needs veteran leadership. Hill and West are going to be the main two leaders on the team, and both players are unsure when they will be able to return from their injuries. In the meantime, Roy Hibbert will be asked to step into that role and come through in a big way on the offensive end of the court.
If the Pacers are healthy all season long, they will have a chance to claim one of the playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference. That being said, if they struggle with injuries like they have been so far, they will be looking at a fairly high draft pick in the offseason.