T.J. Warren's plantar fasciitis reportedly 'not serious,' shouldn't impact postseason status
T.J. Warren, the Indianapolis Pacers breakout star in the NBA bubble, didn’t play in their 108-104 win against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday while dealing with plantar fasciitis in his foot, Pacers coach Nate McMillan said.
Though that sounds concerning on the surface — both due to the unpredictability of the injury and Warren’s play at Walt Disney World — the Pacers aren’t worried. According to ESPN, the injury is “not serious” and shouldn’t prohibit him from being ready for the start of the postseason next week.
“He has been experiencing that really throughout the season. [He’s] been able to play on it,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said after the win, via the Indianapolis Star.
Warren among the best in Florida
Warren’s play has been among the best since the season resumed in Florida.
The 26-year-old has averaged 31 points per game inside the bubble, the fourth-most in the league, and has shot better than 52% both from the floor and the 3-point line, too.
He dropped a career-high to open play for the Pacers in Orlando, putting up 53 points while shooting 9-of-12 from behind the arc against the Philadelphia 76ers, and scored 39 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
The Miami Heat, who the Pacers will take on in the first round of the playoffs, have been the only team seemingly able to slow him down. Warren put up just 12 points while shooting 5-of-14 from the field against on Monday.
McMillan didn’t say whether Warren would play on Friday in their final seeding game — which is also against the Heat. As it can’t impact their playoff positioning, however, it would make sense if Warren sat out in order to ensure that he’s back to 100 percent for the first round.
“[Warren] had a little soreness there. We wanted to get him some rest on that,” McMillan said, via the Star. “I will get the medical report on our guys tomorrow and Friday and we’ll make a decision on who is playing and how much they’re playing.”
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