SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Veteran point guard T.J. McConnell has been upgraded to questionable after missing more than a month with a hamstring strain and forwards Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith are off the injury report after missing Sunday’s game against Golden State, the Pacers posted on social media on Monday afternoon.
McConnell strained his right hamstring on Oct. 7 in the Pacers’ preseason game against Minnesota and has been out since, but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Sunday McConnell was ramping up toward a return. The Pacers have spent most of the beginning of the season playing without McConnell, All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and guard Andrew Nembhard — their top three point guard options from last season. Haliburton is out for the year with an Achilles tendon tear but Nembhard returned to play Saturday after missing seven games with a left shoulder strain.
Nesmith missed Sunday’s game with a right forearm contusion after taking a hard fall in Saturday’s loss to the Nuggets. Siakam took a rest day after having to carry the Pacers for much of the beginning of the season. He leads the team with 24.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
Haliburton, forward Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture), guards Bennedict Mathurin (great toe sprain), Quenton Jackson (right hamstring strain), Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction) and forward Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain) are all still out. Toppin is out until at least Feb. 1. Furphy and Jackson will at least miss this road trip and Carlisle said Jones is “still aways out” from a return as of Sunday.
McConnell has been a spark for the Pacers on both ends. Last season he averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 assists per game, posting more assists off the bench than any other player in the NBA. He also had the most assists and second most points off the bench of any player in the playoffs.
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