Pacers crisis, the forward general sprained his ankle on his right ankle! He missed the first two games of the finals!

On June 3, there were only 3 days left before the NBA Finals officially started. At the critical moment, the Pacers heard a heart-wrenching bad news: the team's substitute forward Jales Walker will miss the first two games of the finals due to an ankle injury.

Today, this news has also been confirmed by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

For a team that is about to step onto the finals stage, such an injury is undoubtedly a big blow. Although Walker is not the starting core, his role on the bench cannot be underestimated.

This season's regular season, Walker played 75 games for the Pacers, 5 of which appeared as the starter. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 40.5%. In the team rotation lineup, he is a player with stable performance. Although he doesn’t have many roles, he is also a very important part of the Carlisle system. After entering the playoffs, Walker's playing time decreased slightly, averaging 9.8 minutes per game, contributing 3 points and 1.8 rebounds. But he is still an important puzzle in the Pacers' character lineup, especially in wing defense and bottom corner three-pointers, which has provided a lot of help to the team.

Returning to the injury, it happened in the critical battle of the sixth game of the Pacers vs. the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Walker accidentally sprained his right ankle while defending Towns' layup. In the slow-motion replay, Walker's right ankle had an anti-joint twist of more than 90 degrees at the moment of landing, and he fell to the ground in pain.

The Pacers then announced that he would not return to the game. Afterwards, it was confirmed that the sprain was very serious, and it is likely to involve ligament strains or even bone contusions.

Today, according to Forbes sports reporter Evan Sidri's latest report on social media:

"Walker's recovery period will make him miss the first two games of the finals."

The team's head coach Carlisle also said in an interview with radio:

"He will be absent for a while, and it is still unclear how long it will take, but it is certain that he can't play the first two games of the finals."

According to the team's official disclosure, as of this week, Walker still needs to walk with a cane, and it is obvious that it will take some time before he returns completely healthy.

According to the schedule, the Pacers will visit Oklahoma in the first two games of the finals. Facing the Thunder, a young team with a strong popularity, there was already a lot of pressure. Now that there is a reliable rotation player missing, the game situation will undoubtedly make it worse.

Of course, basketball is still a team sport after all, and every injury also means an additional opportunity for other players to stand up. The Pacers need to find a replacement as soon as possible to fill in the gaps that Walker has opened up in defense and space. The curtain of the finals is about to open, and for the Pacers, the challenge has just begun. I hope Walker can recover soon, and I also look forward to the Pacers using stronger team strength to face this tough battle.