Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan provided an update on Domantas Sabonis after the All-Star forward left the bubble on Friday to deal with plantar fasciitis.
“He's been sore. There's a bruise there. Right how he is out indefinitely. We'll see how he feels in another week or 2 and really make our decision then (on his status going forward)” McMillan told Pacers reporters.
On Friday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski emerged from his two-week suspension to report that Sabonis was dealing with a “significant foot injury.”
Indiana's Domantas Sabonis has a signficant foot injury and will leave the Orlando bubble to seek treatment from a specialist, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2020
Wojnarowski added that Sabonis intends on re-joining his Pacers teammates in the bubble when he's healthy. McMillan's update implies that Sabonis may be back in time to help his team once the 2020 playoffs start.
Sabonis, a first-time All-Star in 2020, is a key part of the Pacers’ squad. The Gonzaga alum averaged 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in 62 appearances prior to the league's suspension in March. He signed a four-year, $75 million contract extension that will begin at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Sabonis is not the only Pacers All-Star dealing with injury issues inside the bubble. Victor Oladipo—who returned from a serious knee injury in January and played in 13 games before the hiatus—has been scrimmaging with his teammates at Disney World but is still deciding whether he'll play when the games start counting.
Amid the ongoing uncertainty, 2021 free agency, and dispute with the players association over his salary, ESPN's Richard Jefferson speculated about a possible rift between Oladipo and the Pacers organization, similar to the Kawhi Leonard-San Antonio Spurs situation in 2017-18.
Indiana (39-26), currently in the fifth spot in the East, resumes its season on Aug. 1 in a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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