The Indiana Pacers’ season did not begin as the supporters had hoped. Myles Turner, the Pacers’ star centre and season-opening opponent on Wednesday, injured his ankle during a shootaround. The incident that led to the injuries was a freak event. Turner rolled his ankle after landing on a ball boy beneath the rim.
Turner was initially expected to play on Saturday after missing the opening game and maybe two others. Shams Charania, a journalist for The Athletic, reports that Turner is currently anticipated to be out for at least a week, if not longer.
Turner’s defensive presence undoubtedly would have helped the Pacers in their 114-107 loss to the Washington Wizards.
Myles Turner just can’t seem to get any luck. The past two seasons have seen numerous injuries for the Pacers’ centre. After participating in only 42 games the season before, he only participated in 47 games the next year. The last couple of years, Indiana allegedly discussed moving Turner, but his trade value has since fallen due to all of his injuries.
Definitely not helping to increase that worth is this. It doesn’t seem like the ankle sprain will prevent him from working for a long time. Turner’s inability to even begin the season healthy, however, is a setback for a young, promising Pacers squad.
When the Pacers moved Domantas Sabonis last year, it was believed that they were in the midst of a rebuild. Tyrese Haliburton, though, is a budding sensation who they managed to sign. That inspired some hope that the club would be able to catch some people off guard this season. Turner needs to be on the ground for that to occur, though.
The first version of this article appeared on ClutchPoints: Myles Turner freak injury feared worse than first imagined.