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Indiana Pacers: The impact of Glenn Robinson III’s injury

By Adrian Lawhorn

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images /
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Indiana Pacers small forward Glenn Robinson III is expected to miss the next eight weeks due to an ankle injury. Here’s how his absence will affect the team.

The Indiana Pacers had a plan going into training camp, but adjustments have already been necessary because of a practice injury.

Small forward Glenn Robinson III, who was slated to be the primary backup at his position and was a possible threat to win the starting spot, sustained an ankle injury during the team’s fourth practice of camp.

He reportedly went hard to the basket and was stepped on by a teammate who was attempting to defend Robinson’s shot. The injury has been diagnosed as a high left ankle sprain, and he will be out for approximately eight weeks.

Robinson’s injury will have a ripple effect on the Pacers’ playing rotation, beginning with starting small forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic may see a slight increase in minutes while GRIII is out, in part because Robinson is the only other experienced player on Indiana’s roster who primarily plays the small forward position.

The team will probably rely a bit more on Bogdanovic over the next few weeks, but the intrigue really begins when looking at the team’s options in terms of backup minutes at small forward.

Head coach Nate McMillan has stated that the backup small forward role could be filled by committee, with rookie T.J. Leaf, Damien Wilkins, Lance Stephenson and Alex Poythress all getting consideration.

Glenn Robinson III’s injury will probably give Stephenson a more certain opportunity to play starter’s minutes off the bench, as he can play small forward and is also looked upon as a key player for the Pacers despite not being a member of the starting five.

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Poythress is a true small forward, but he only has six games of NBA regular season experience, so he will have to show very well in training camp to get a shot at the rotation to begin the 2017-18 campaign.

Wilkins is a 37-year-old veteran, but he’s been out of the NBA since 2013. Damien Wilkins played well in the D-League last year, but his opportunities will be extremely limited even with Robinson out of action for two months.

T.J. Leaf is a power forward, but the team is looking for ways to get him on the floor, and GRIII’s absence could create an opportunity for the 6’10”, 225-pounder out of UCLA to see some extra time on the court.

The Pacers would like to see how Leaf might fare as a small forward, but in general, they just want to get Leaf on the floor so they can see exactly what they have in him.

Indiana will miss Robinson’s defense and efficient shooting while he is on the mend, and they are not a very deep team to begin with, so losing a solid rotation player such as GRIII will undoubtedly hurt.

Bojan Bogdanovic will need to play a slightly increased role as the starter, while Lance Stephenson is likely to get most of the backup minutes at small forward over the next few weeks.

T.J. Leaf will get some spot minutes at the 3 while also playing behind Thaddeus Young at power forward. Damien Wilkins and Alex Poythress should be considered secondary options while Robinson is sidelined.

Injuries are certainly part of the game and something all teams must contend with, but Indiana has been forced to go to “Plan B” very early.

Injuries can also create opportunities for others, and in this case, Lance Stephenson will get a chance to show that he is ready for a significant role that will further utilize his versatility.

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Leaf, Wilkins and Poythress are all waiting in the wings, but Stephenson is the player who should primarily carry the torch for GRIII until he returns.

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