Despite the high hopes for Indiana Pacers next year following a highly-impressive run last season, it appears that they will be entering the new campaign without the services of their cornerstone superstar, Victor Oladipo.

It was Pacers president Kevin Pritchard himself who recently announced that the team does not expect the former Most Improves Player of the Year winner to return until at least December. This means that Indiana will need to navigate the first couple of months of the 2019-20 season without their star.

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Oladipo was having another tremendous year for the Pacers last season before it was cut short by a season-ending quad injury. In 36 appearances for Indiana last year, the 26-year-old put up 18.8 points (on 42.3 percent shooting), 2.1 three-pointers, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals in 31.9 minutes per contest, en route to his second consecutive All-Star nod.

However, Oladipo suffered an ill-timed right quadricep tendon rupture, which eventually required surgery back in January. He has reportedly been working his way back from the gruesome injury, but there appears to be no chance that he will be fit enough to make a comeback at the beginning of next season.

Oladipo's timetable looks like it will take around a year, and with the Pacers erring on the side of caution, we should expect them to bring him back slowly once he is able to finally make a return to the court. This means that potentially, we might not be able to see the former All-Defensive team member back in full strength until after next season's All-Star break.