Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has had to supply his share of unhappy updates on most of his team already this year.

Just a season removed from its run to the 2025 NBA Finals, Indiana has gone 2-15 to start the 2025-26 season. The Paces have been hampered by a variety of injuries, beyond just the anticipated yearlong absence of two-time All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

The 6-foot-5 Iowa State product, 25, tore his Achilles tendon just one quarter into Game 7 of the team’s eventual Finals defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Less talked about is how big an impact the free agency departure of former 10-year Pacers center Myles Turner has had on the club’s frontcourt efficacy, especially on defense.

Turner, who ditched Indiana for a $108.9 million four-year contract offer from Central Division rival the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, offered a unique two-way ability that Indiana has been trying to replace piecemeal.

A rim-running big man with the athleticism necessary to match up with perimeter players on guards, Turner is also a solid 3-point shooter. He’s a career 36.5 percent shooter on 3.3 triple tries a night, and is currently connecting on 41.8 percent of his 5.8 nightly long range takes for Milwaukee this season. The Pacers have replaced him with backup Isaiah Jackson in the starting lineup, and have supplemented Jackson with bench minutes from jump shooter Jay Huff and defense-first big Tony Bradley off the bench. None of these players even approaches Turner levels.

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Beyond these absences, power forward Obi Toppin will miss most of the season (he’ll be back, at the earliest, in February) recovering from a foot stress fracture.

Starters Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith have all missed at multiple games, while several reserves have been in and out of the Pacers’ lineups.

Now, it appears that Indiana will be without one of its key young guards for a good long while.

Per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed recently that rookie swingman Kam Jones was sidelined indefinitely while recovering from a back injury.

Carlisle says Kam Jones is still a ways out. Says T.J. McConnell is getting closer. “He’s been ramping up pretty steadily.” Says Nesmith is very sore today after hitting the floor hard last night.

— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) November 10, 2025

On Monday, Carlisle informed reporters that Jones has finally recovered, but still needs to ramp his way back up to health, and how long that takes is anyone’s guess.

Carlisle said Johnny Furphy’s situation is getting better and he’s starting to do more activity on the floor. “I would think in the next couple weeks sometime.” Says Kam Jones has recovered from his back injury but now begins a process of ramp-up to competition.

— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) November 24, 2025

Selected with the No. 38 pick out of Marquette in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft last summer, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard has yet to make his pro debut.

A consensus 2025 All-American and a two-time All-Big East honoree, Jones averaged 19.2 points on .483/.311/.648 shooting splits, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 34 games for the Golden Eagles last year.

Second-year shooting guard Johnny Furphy, however, is expected back “in the next couple weeks sometime,” Carlisle reveals. The 6-foot-8 swingman was selected with the No. 35 pick out of Kansas last year. In just two healthy games this season, he’s averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds across 11.9 minutes.

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