The Indiana Pacers received great news with the surprising return of Victor Oladipo, after it had been reported that Oladipo that would sit out the NBA restart in Orlando. However, the Pacers have now lost an even more valuable player for their current team.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis has a “significant” foot injury and will leave the Orlando bubble to get treatment from a specialist.
Indiana's Domantas Sabonis has a signficant foot injury and will leave the Orlando bubble to seek treatment from a specialist, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2020
So, we should assume that Sabonis won’t be a part of things for the Pacers in the season resumption, and that’s a huge loss.
The 24-year-old efficiently averaged 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists to lead the Pacers to a 39-26 record before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the NBA down in March. He was selected to his first All-Star Game in February.
With Oladipo — who had only played in 13 games this season — rejoining a Pacers team that had been playing excellent basketball, there was reason to believe Indiana could be a very dangerous team in the bubble. But without Sabonis, it will be a huge challenge for Nate McMillan’s squad.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.