The Pacers injury report keeps getting longer. The team is about to face the Golden State Warriors with one key player missing. The lengthy injury report ruled out Pascal Siakam for this game. It’s a bit surprising considering there was no indication of an injury. But the forward is being rested for this game. Considering the hardships this team is having, it’s not a surprise they’re preserving their backup players’ health even if the opponent is Draymond Green.

Outweighing the starting lineup is this very populated list. Taelon Peter is the only one questionable with right groin soreness. Among those ruled out with Siakam are Aaron Nesmith (right forearm contusion), Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain), Quenton Jackson (right hamstring strain), Bennedict Mathurin (right great toe sprain), Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction), T.J. McConnell (left hamstring strain), Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture) and of course, Tyrese Haliburton still recovering from the dreaded right Achilles tendon tear.

The Warriors are down Stephen Curry who is missing his third straight game due to an unspecified illness. So the pressure was on Draymond Green. Until this injury report, the Kevin Durant agreers were challenging Green to prove his ‘defense wins championships’ point against Pascal Siakam.

That will have to wait for another time. In Siakam’s place, Jay Huff is joining the starting lineup. This center has averaged 5.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 14.4 minutes per contest so far this season.

The understaffed Pacers have expectedly fallen to 15-6 with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter. Huff has recorded only two rebounds so far and the scoring load has fallen on Isaiah Jackson.

Whatever strategies they’ve had resting a crucial player amid all these injuries is not showing.

Pascal Siakam is coping with Indiana’s injuries

On Pacers media day late September, Obi Toppin said this. “I feel like we’ve just gotta continue our pace, continue our pace of play and just sharing the ball. That’s where our success came from last year, just everybody being involved and everybody having fun with each other playing out there. We have a culture, we’re going to try and stay in that culture.”

Toppin then suffered a stress fracture a month later that needed surgery and a recovery period of three months. T.J. McConnell and Quenton Jackson were hurt during preseason. Kam Jones health has held him back. Andrew Nembhard had a mid-game scare at the start of the season. Without Bennedict Mathurin as well, Rick Carlisle’s team has to rely on their signature ball movement that took them all the way to the finals and what veteran players are a fan of.

There’s only so much movement a limited rotation of players can carry out. Pascal Siakam had aided Nembhard and Jackson in Tyrese Haliburton’s place. He contributed 14 points in yesterday’s 117-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets yesterday in a back-to-back set.

Siakam has created some great moments on the times he’s been on court. But he said, “It’s almost laughable. It’s not funny, but it’s just a tough situation,” on the mounting team injuries. “We come into the season and guys get injured. Things that are out of our control… It’s life. So we’ve just got to move on and continue to find ways to be positive and get wins.” From the sound of it, the strain is getting to him too. And a rest is warranted.