T.J. McConnell's Status Uncertain After Missing Entire Pacers Preseason

T.J. McConnell sat out all four of the Indiana Pacers' preseason games, and his availability for Wednesday's season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans remains unsettled.

Asked Oct. 15 whether McConnell would be ready for the opener, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the team was "working on it" and added, "We hope so."

Indiana has not officially disclosed the injury. Fieldhouse Files' Scott Agness reported it as a hamstring strain, the same injury McConnell had last preseason.

Agness listed four Pacers who dealt with hamstring strains in the first month of camp: McConnell, Larry Nance Jr., Quenton Jackson, and Aaron Nesmith. McConnell is the only one of the four who did not appear in an exhibition.

The Pacers' first injury report of the season is due Tuesday afternoon.

McConnell sat out Indiana's FanJam scrimmage on Oct. 4 for what Carlisle called physical considerations, according to Pacers On SI. He then missed games against Minnesota in Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 7, against Atlanta on Oct. 10, at Oklahoma City on Oct. 13, and against Milwaukee on Oct. 16.

A year ago, McConnell strained his left hamstring in the preseason opener at Minnesota on Oct. 7, 2025. Carlisle said two days later that he would miss at least a month. He missed the first 10 games of the regular season.

In 2024-25, McConnell averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 assists in 79 games. His 348 assists off the bench led the NBA. During Indiana's run to the 2025 NBA Finals, he averaged 9.5 points and 4.0 assists in 23 playoff games.

The 34-year-old is the longest-tenured player on the roster.

Without him, Quenton Jackson is next in line at backup point guard behind Tyrese Haliburton on Agness' opening-night depth chart. Rookie Braden Smith, on a two-way contract, is the other option, and Haliburton has likened Smith's passing to McConnell's.

Getting the second unit into its offense, getting everybody touches, and keeping the energy up on defense is Jackson's job with that group.

"Just a lot of movement, everything," Jackson said. "I just kind of come in and be an extension of TJ in some extent. That way we can keep the flow, keep the pace. Obviously, with TJ out, it's a lot more ball handling from other places. So we just try to keep energy, keep the pace in the game."

Nance missed the start of camp with his own hamstring strain and returned for the second preseason game. He joked that McConnell must have loaned him his good hamstring when McConnell's went down.

Indiana finished the preseason 1-3, with overtime losses in its last two games. Andrew Nembhard, Nesmith, and Jarace Walker each missed at least one of those games as well.

Tip-off at Smoothie King Center is 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. The Pacers return home Friday to face the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m. ET.