December 29, 2020. That’s the date we last saw TJ Warren play for the Indiana Pacers. Plantar fasciitis, a condition that began to bother him during the 2019-20 academic year and that weighed on him in the Orlando bubble, became so complicated that it was classified as a doubt at the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign. It was a major injury given his difficult recovery, but what was not expected is that he also suffered a stress fracture in his left foot. In January he underwent surgery and in March the Pacers announced that he would not play for the rest of the season.
Back then, spring 2021, it was assumed that the Indianapolis organization had chosen to be cautious in order to ensure the presence of TJ Warren at the start of the 2021-22 academic year. Being one of the most important players in the roster, having their participation could be key to the return to the playoffs. That was the plan, one that seems far from being accomplished.
As the franchise itself has announced, the left foot injury is subsiding while the player continues with his rehabilitation; however, such a recovery is not proceeding at the rate initially anticipated. Such a scenario causes Indiana to maintain indefinite discharge status for the forward and to postpone a new update on Warren’s situation until when it is relevant.
(Photograph by Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)
