Pacers Rookie Suffers Injury, Will Miss Significant Time

Heading into this season, the Indiana Pacers are in need of some depth at the point guard position. With Tyrese Haliburton set to miss the entire season, they need a third guard they can count on.

Quenton Jackson, Kam Jones, and newly signed free agent Delon Wright are expected to fight for that spot. Jones is a rookie from Marquette who was a shooting guard in college.

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Indiana was hoping they could help him change positions and see what he can do with the ball in his hands more. Unfortunately, he has suffered an injury that will stunt that growth.

Pacers guard Kam Jones will miss several weeks

According to head coach Rick Carlisle, the rookie guard will miss several weeks due to a back injury.

Rick Carlisle said Ben Sheppard and Kam Jones will not play in tomorrow’s preseason game. Carlisle said Jones is out for several weeks with a back injury. Said Sheppard should be back soon and wouldn’t disclose the injury. RayJ Dennis is available.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) October 6, 2025

Back injuries are never good because they don't seem to ever go away. Having Jones suffer one so early on is certainly concerning for the Pacers. They were expecting him to be a factor in training camp.

This opens up a chance for Jackson and Wright to swoop in and take that spot. Jackson played well at times last season when the Pacers were dealing with a ton of injuries.

At this point, Jackson has to be considered the favorite for that third point guard spot. That means he's just an injury away from getting rotational minutes. Foul trouble from Andrew Nembhard could thrust him into the lineup, as well.

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The Pacers are unsure when Jones will return

Carlisle didn't give a definitive timeline on when Jones will return or what the exact injury is. He will be working hard to get back from the injury, whatever it is.

Based on what Carlisle said, there's a good chance that he misses the start of the regular season. At that point, his status on the roster could be rocky, depending on what else happens in preseason.

This injury could stop him from getting minutes right out of the shoot for the Pacers. Jackson and Wright now clearly have the upper hand.

Last season at Marquette, Jones averaged 19.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He shot 48.3 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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