Pacers’ TJ McConnell May Miss Rest Of Season After Hand Surgery

Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell underwent surgery on his right hand to repair torn ligaments and could miss the rest of the season, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

McConnell, 29, is 6-foot-1 and has admirably served as the Pacers’ sparkplug off the bench, as well as an occasional starter in a pinch. He is averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 assists in 24 games.

Wojnarowski reported McConnell may not be out all year, but even if not, is likely to miss significant time. Either way, it serves as a blow to an Indiana squad that had playoff dreams, but instead has been fairly uneven, under first-year coach Rick Carlisle.

McConnell suffered the injury almost week ago vs. the Hawks, exiting the game with what at first was called a wrist injury. He signed a four-year, $34 million deal with the Pacers this past offseason.

“He’ll become trade-eligible on January 15, but because he’s unlikely to be of much use to contending teams this season, he’ll likely remain with the Pacers through the February 10 deadline,” wrote Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors.