Isaiah Jackson ruptures Achilles, out for season

Against the New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers backup forward/center Isaiah Jackson suffered a gruesome non-contact injury that was very similar to what happened to his teammate James Wiseman earlier this season. Head coach Rick Carlisle appeared to fear the worst in his postgame press conference following the Pelicans’ 125-118 win on Friday night.

Losing Jackson and Wiseman quickly could be catastrophic for the team’s roster. That now appears to allow backup big man Jalen Smith, who can score both face-up around the basket and from deep while also being a reliable rebounder, to leave for the Central Division rivals Chicago Bulls on a three-year deal. 27 million dollars. The free agent contract was a huge mistake.

Rick Carlisle on Isaiah Jackson’s right calf injury, his voice shaking.

“We don’t have a definitive forecast for Isaiah’s situation. But this is a right calf injury. We hope this is not the worst news.”

Video of a non-contact injury that looks like another Achilles. pic.twitter.com/2lSXmAVSkW

— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) November 2, 2024

Now it looks like it’s true.

Sources say ESPN’s Shams Charania that Jackson had torn his right Achilles tendon and was now out for the rest of the season. He will undergo surgery on Monday to correct the disease.

In his final game of the year, Jackson got off to an encouraging start before he had to leave for good. The 6-foot-10 pro scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and converted one dime in 15:35.

The 22-year-old former Wildcat finishes the season averaging 7.0 points on 60.9 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from the foul line, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.0 assists. and 0.6 interceptions.

Jackson was the 22nd overall pick out of Kentucky in the 2021 NBA Draft and has played all four of his professional seasons with the Pacers thus far. He is entering the final season of his current rookie contract and will reach restricted free agent status this summer. With his health now a big question mark, one wonders whether Indiana (or anyone else) would be interested in committing long-term money to Jackson.

It got to the point where the Pacers were running out of healthy bodies behind starting five Myles Turner. The versatile 3-D veteran is a unique weapon in the modern NBA, but Indiana will now have to get creative to compensate for his absence. Presumably backup power forward Obi Toppin will be brought in to play some small ball for five minutes – starter Pascal Siakam could also serve as a quick breakout center in certain matchups.

More Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin takes on the Pelicans after the loss