Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren had some extremely promising play in the NBA bubble in Orlando last season, including a 53-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, Warren has been unable to build off of the momentum he established in Orlando, as his follow-up campaign has been derailed by injury issues. Warren, who suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in December, has appeared in just four games for Indiana this season -- and that number won't change. On Thursday, the Pacers announced that Warren would be out for the remainder of the season as he continues to recover after undergoing surgery in January.
The Pacers have struggled without Warren's services for the vast majority of the season. They currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with an overall record of 20-23. They traded guard Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets in January and received guard Caris LeVert in return, but LeVert has appeared in just seven games for the Pacers so far after a small mass on his left kidney was identified and removed following the trade.
The playoff picture in the East is crowded. In ninth, the Pacers sit just two games behind the fourth-seeded Charlotte Hornets, but also just 2.5 ahead of the 11th-seeded Toronto Raptors. In other words, the standings could fluctuate rapidly -- and dramatically -- during the second half of the season. The trade deadline has now passed, so the Pacers won't be making any more major moves during the season. They are who they are. Only time will tell if they have enough to make any sort of a real run without Warren.
The Pacers are scheduled to play against several other teams in contention in the East -- including the Heat, Hornets, and Bulls -- in the coming weeks. How they fare in those contests could go a long way toward determining where they'll finish the season in the standings.
