Indiana Pacers playing without key players as season winds down

The Pacers are nearing the end of their season with many injuries plaguing the team

The Indiana Pacers are 34-44 and have four games left in their season. Technically, they could still reach the play-in tournament if they win at least three of their final games and get help from the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, but that seems to be exceedingly unlikely. Instead, the Pacers are in learning mode.

"We've got seven more games to look at some things. And we'll do that," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said on Monday. In the three games his team has played since then, they have relied heavily on younger players, such as Andrew Nembhard, Jordan Nwora, Bennedict Mathurin, and a combination of young big men.

Those players have put up solid performances this week. Andrew Nembhard had 15 assists on Wednesday while Bennedict Mathurin scored 29 points the same night. Jalen Smith had 12 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Oklahoma City on Friday. Nwora has averaged almost 14 points per game since the All-Star break. The Pacers youngsters are getting more responsibilities of late, and they are taking advantage.

Those expanded roles have come as a result of talented veterans and developing pieces missing time, though. Chris Duarte has played for just five total minutes since March 13 as he is dealing with left ankle soreness, and it is unclear if he will play again this season. Buddy Hield missed two games with the flu, and Kendall Brown is out with a right tibia stress fracture. Those three absences have shifted the rotation.

Indiana's two best players this season, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, have not played in a week. Haliburton has played just two games since March 9 due to a variety of injuries, including ankle and knee ailments. Turner, meanwhile, has been managing ankle soreness and back pain, which has kept him out of Indiana's last four games.

The blue and gold are 3-7 in the last 10 games as they deal with these injuries and illnesses. They are a totally different team when Turner and Haliburton, specifically, play — the 12th-place team has a 26-22 record when both talents suit up, a 44-win pace over a full season.

With just four games left in the season, it is plausible that neither player suits up again for the blue and gold in 2022-23. "They'll be listed however they're listed game to game. But if you're asking if it's possible that they don't play any more? Yeah, it's possible," Carlisle said of Haliburton and Turner on Thursday. He was asked if there is anything else he would like to see from the two vets this season.

"It's not impossible that one of them would play, but we're just going game to game," he added. Neither player played the following day against the Thunder.

The Pacers are 8-22 when one or both of Turner and Haliburton is unavailable. In three of the team's final four games, they battle with an opponent who is jockeying for playoff positioning. Their remaining schedule is tough, and it remains to be seen who will be available for the blue and gold down the stretch.

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