Huge Injury News for the Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers playoff chances just got a little dimmer, as it has been announced that Myles Turner will be out indefinitely with a foot injury. Indiana is currently sitting in 9th place in the Eastern Conference at 26-30 and looking to stay in the play-in tournament picture. Turner has had a fairly average year, outside of leading the league at 3.4 bpg, with 12.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg on 47.7% FG with the rest of his stats holding steady with his somewhat lackluster career averages. 

Pacers center Myles Turner has a partial tear of plantar plate in the great toe of his right foot and is out indefinitely.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 19, 2021

Plantar fasciitis is a tough injury for any athlete to go through, but is common amongst basketball and soccer players. 

Re: Myles Turner: The plantar plate is a fibrocartilage structure that provides stability while aiding with mobility. "Turf toe" injuries can result in a plantar plate tear.

— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) April 19, 2021

Turner was no doubt in the running for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, but this injury will surely derail that opportunity, as the award is now down to a two player race between Rudy Gobert and Ben Simmons. There has been a little trash talk between those two players, who both covet the DPOY award. 

The question for the Pacers now is whether they believe in Turner for the long-term. He has two more years on his contract at $17.5M/year ($18M cap hit) and is not showing any progression on the offensive end in his 6th year in the league. Leading the league in blocks per game is nice, and he's the anchor of their defense, but is 12 ppg/6rpg worth $17.5M per year? With a serious foot injury now on the books, the Pacers will have to think long and hard about their long-term plans and whether or not they include Turner. 

Photo Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports