Victor Oladipo knows the Indiana Pacers received some unfortunate news on Thursday when wing scorer T.J. Warren was ruled out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot.
Indiana Pacers forward TJ Warren will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, sources tell ESPN. He will be out indefinitely.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 31, 2020
Warren, 27, had been averaging 15.5 points per game with the Pacers on 52.9% shooting through the first four games of the 2020-21 season.
Pacers teammate Victor Oladipo commented on the team's Instagram post about Warren's injury with an optimistic message.
“He will be back stronger!! Believe that!” the Pacers guard wrote.
— Tony East (@TEastNBA) December 31, 2020
The Pacers have won three of their first four contests this season.
Warren was held out of his team's 119-99 victory on Thursday over the Cleveland Cavaliers due to foot soreness. He had been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his other foot before the latest injury.
The 6'8 forward broke out in the bubble, averaging 31.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on ridiculous .578/.524/.889 shooting splits in six seeding games, including a 53-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. He was named to the All-Bubble First Team for his blistering performance.
He cooled off slightly in the postseason, but still put up 20 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as the Pacers were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round.
Kelan Martin could see an increased role for the Pacers in Warren's absence. Indiana head coach Nate Bjorken expressed his confidence in the second-year man after he played saw 11 minutes of early action on Thursday.
“I love how he competes and he’s just been staying ready all along,” Bjorkgren said of Martin, via Pacers reporter Scott Agness.
JaKarr Sampson could also see more minutes without Warren.
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