Young players take center stage as Pacers face Wizards again
The injury report could be miles long when the Washington Wizards face the visiting Indiana Pacers for the second time in as many days on Friday.
With so many players sidelined, both teams are giving their young players extended playing time. Indiana forward Jarace Walker, for one, appears determined to capitalize on the opportunity.
Walker recorded the second double-double of his career with 19 points and 14 rebounds in the Pacers' 112-105 road loss to the Wizards on Thursday.
"This has been one of the victories of this season is his development," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's being put into these situations where he becomes one of the lead guys, has to make plays, defend, rebound, get to put the ball in the basket. ... This is the growth that we're looking for with young players."
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 draft has scored in double figures in 11 straight games for Indiana, which had just eight players available in the second half on Thursday.
"(Walker) has done well in these games," Carlisle said. "He's got a scorer's, shooter's mentality. I mean, a missed shot doesn't bother him one bit. And that's how you've got to be. You've got to have a real short memory for misses and a long memory for makes, and he certainly seems to be one of those guys."
The injury-plagued Pacers figure to be short-handed again on Friday. Forward Pascal Siakam will sit out his second straight game due to personal reasons, and forward Aaron Nesmith has been ruled out because of a right ankle sprain.
Rookie guard Kam Jones exited the Thursday game in the first half due to lower back soreness and is listed as questionable for the Friday rematch.
Walker will be expected to carry a heavy load again versus Washington, which snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday.
Bub Carrington, Jaden Hardy, Anthony Gill and Kadary Richmond scored 13 points apiece to help the Wizards move a game above Indiana at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Before the contest, Washington coach Brian Keefe talked about his team's goals coming out of the All-Star break.
"It's all about stacking habits for us, and that's never going to change," Keefe said. "It's just controlling what we can control and focus on things that we do every day: shootarounds, practices, our preparation. That's what we're focused on."
Bilal Coulibaly and Tristan Vukcevic each scored 12 points on Thursday for Washington, which forced 23 turnovers in the victory. Vukcevic started in place of center Alex Sarr, who is expected to miss at least another week with a right hamstring strain.
Washington bolstered its roster with the recent acquisitions of Trae Young and Anthony Davis, but neither has debuted for the Wizards due to injuries.
Young is out due to a right knee MCL sprain and a quad contusion, while Davis remains sidelined with ligament damage in his left hand. Keefe was asked on Thursday if the Wizards expect either player to play again this season.
"You just follow the process," Keefe said. "That's what we always do. Just stick to that. Obviously, we're going to re-evaluate Trae in one week and Anthony here in two weeks. But I just go day by day. Those are the things I focus on."