It’s been an up and down battle for Indiana Pacers guard T.J. Warren as he’s worked himself back to full strength from consecutive stress fractures in his left foot. The path to stepping foot on the court, however, just got longer as the organization announced today that the 28-year-old will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Although Indiana Pacers guard TJ Warren has recovered from consecutive stress fractures in his left foot and returned to full basketball activities, he will sit out team’s final 12 games and prepare for the 2022-2023 season, sources told ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 17, 2022
“After thoughtful conversation with T.J. and his representatives, it has been determined that the most beneficial course of action at this point is to allow him to focus on the 2022-23 season,” President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said.
While only playing four games during the 2020-21 campaign, the former 14th overall pick in the 2014 draft has remained sidelined for the entirety of this season despite fully recovering from the stress fractures.
Wojnarowski reports that conversations between Warren’s representatives and the team led to the understanding that returning to a Pacers roster that will miss the playoffs makes little sense – sitting at 13th in the Eastern Conference standings – opting to prepare for the 2022-23 season.
Warren’s sample size with the Pacers is small, averaging 19.8 points while shooting 40.3 percent from deep in the 2019-20 campaign, however, the return of a sharpshooting guard next to recently acquired second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton could provide for a shakeup in Indiana and the Eastern Conference.
