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The jumper seemed benign enough. Fending off a double team, Roy Hibbert kicked the ball out to Rodney Stuckey who was open for a three-point jumper.
Stuckey missed the shot but somewhere between lift off and landing, the Pacers early-season microwave strained the left foot he's been nursing back to full strength. After the discomfort lingered on the defensive end, Stuckey eventually left the court with trainer Josh Corbiel, and was ruled out for the rest of the game a few minutes later.
Rodney Stuckey, who was already limited with a sore left foot, is in the locker room, "sore left foot will not return"
— Jeremiah Johnson (@JJFSINDIANA) November 2, 2014
Frank Vogel planned to use Stuckey off the bench for limited minutes (around 15 mpg) for the first three games. If all went according to plan, Stuckey could expand his role and likely join the starting lineup. Vogel did have concerns about a setback costing Stuckey extended time.
Uh oh.
Is this a full-scale setback or is the training staff just taking appropriate precautions to keep Stuckey out of a game that isn't going the Pacers' way? We'll find out soon enough.
But for now, Roy Hibbert is the sole player able to play among the top six players on the Pacers roster.