Indiana Pacers Injury Rumors: Rodney Stuckey Out at Least Two Weeks with Foot Injury
The Indiana Pacers will be missing the services of second unit guard Rodney Stuckey for at least two weeks after suffering a sprain and bone bruise on his right foot. The announcement was made by the team on Thursday, or two days after he got the injury in a win against the Phoenix Suns.
Stuckey actually played a little over four minutes in that 116-97 rout after complaining about soreness on his foot. Indiana played early Thursday against the Boston Celtics and lost the game, 103-94. Stuckey sat that one out though.
The 29-year-old from Eastern Washington University already complained about his right foot two months ago and he missed five games early in the season because of it. He currently averages 9.8 points and 2.6 assists in 33 games played for the Pacers this season. He also has one of the best shooting percentages in the team, at 41 percent.
His recovery from the injury is no exact science and it will be almost impossible to exactly pinpoint the date of his return. The positive thing out of it though is that injuries like it will only need ample time of rest, which means that he may be able to return in time for the last push of the regular season. And since the Pacers are expected to get to the playoffs this year, his health will be a determining factor on how far can they go this year.
Stuckey is one of Indiana's most reliable bench players this season. Although his numbers aren't that great, he actually is fifth in scoring and fourth in assists. With that in mind, his value to the team is significant that losing him even for only a few weeks will be a huge blow to the team.
While he has been playing through it all season long, it may be time for him to give his injured foot the time to rest or else he might risk missing the entirety of the season and the playoffs.