The Indiana Pacers have been hampered by injury nearly all season but have still managed to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Currently situated as the five seed in the East with a 39-25 record, their latest injury comes to starting guard Malcolm Brogdon who exited during the second quarter of Indiana’s 119-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday with a sore left hip.
According to a release from the team, Brogdon suffered a torn rectus femoris, one of the key muscles in the quadriceps region. However, Brogdon will not require surgery and is currently listed as week-to-week as he recovers from the injury.
The Pacers have already missed players such as Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner for stretches this season while guard Jeremy Lamb is also out for the remainder of the year with his knee injury. Now losing Malcolm Brogdon for at least a week or two with only 20 games left on their regular-season schedule won’t help matters as they prepare for their fifth straight postseason appearance.
Even if the Pacers do go on a skid without their floor general, they should be in no jeopardy of missing the playoffs. The 7th-seeded Brooklyn Nets are 9.5 games worse than Indiana while the Orlando Magic are 10 games behind in that final playoff spot.
Brogdon has been a stellar addition for the Pacers this season, doubling as a scoring threat on offense along with being their best playmaker. Brogdon is averaging career highs across the board this season with per-game averages of 16.3 points and 7.1 assists. Expect veteran guard T.J. McConnell to pick up most of Brogdon’s minutes in his absence.
