The Indiana Pacers, who are currently 32-15 and in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference, suffered a big blow on Wednesday after losing guard Victor Oladipo to a serious knee injury.
The injury took place during the second quarter of the Pacers’ 110-104 win over the Toronto Raptors. Oladipo, after sprinting to try to make a defensive stop on a Raptors breakaway, attempted to jump but immediately fell to the ground, clutching his right knee in agony.
Preliminary tests performed by the Pacers medical team have shown that the knee injury is serious, and that he will be out for the rest of the season. Oladipo will have an MRI on Thursday to confirm the results.
This is a crushing loss for the Pacers, who have serious Eastern Conference championship hopes. Oladipo, the 2nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draf and a 2018 All Star, is one of their most important players.
Oladipo is averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game this season as the Pacers’ starting shooting guard. He is also one of the best defensive players in the league at his position. He led the league in steals last year, with 2.4 per game.
The Pacers will look to Tyreke Evans to fill Oladipo’s role during his absence.
