Pacers Injury Update: Turner listed as week-to-week

The injury bug is spreading on the Indiana Pacers.

Myles Turner is listed as week-to-week with a strained ankle, according to Shams Charania.

Edmond Sumner is also out with a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be reevaluated in three weeks.

Victor Oladipo remains out with his torn quad tendon and remains on course for a December or January return.

The loss of Turner means the Pacers will roll with a small-ball starting frontcourt of T.J. Warren and Domantas Sabonis.

With extended time together in Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets, the duo performed well. Warren finished with 20 points and Sabonis finished with 28 points and 8 rebounds.

The biggest question mark with Turner’s absence is the extended playing time of Goga Bitadze. The rookie center struggled in his first meaningful NBA minutes on Wednesday, as he finished with a +/- of -16 in just 9 minutes. He had 0 points and 1 rebound.

Despite the rough outing, it is important for Bitadze to get meaningful playing time and develop. If Turner’s injury doesn’t linger all season, and the Pacers are still able to scrap out wins, this could be an important time for Bitadze’s development.

The injury to Sumner puts Justin Holiday in the starting lineup and puts Aaron Holiday back into the rotation off the bench.

Justin Holiday serves as a fine 3&D cog in the starting lineup, but the Aaron Holiday-T.J. McConnell bench backcourt will create some mismatches on the defensive end.

As with Bitadze, this will be a good time for Aaron Holiday to develop as a player and possibly earn a spot back in the rotation.