Pacers' Myles Turner Out Indefinitely with Toe Injury Diagnosed as Partial Tear

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner's return to the Indiana Pacers lineup was short-lived.

The 25-year-old, who returned Sunday after a six-game absence because of a sprained ankle, has been diagnosed with a partial tear in the plantar plate of his right great toe and is out indefinitely.

After the announcement, Turner took to Twitter to provide his own update on his status:

Turner had morphed into a legitimate contender for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award this season, his sixth in the league. Through 47 games, he averaged 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with a league-leading 3.4 blocks.

The Texas product also led the league in blocks in 2018-19, when he posted 2.7 per game.

The 25-year-old suffered an avulsion fracture in his right hand in January, but he avoided a major disruption to his season and only missed two games, but ankles on his lower half limited him through the late part of the season. He was sidelined again with an ankle issue for a game in March and then returned for seven games, but the ankle sprain got the best of him after an April 6 outing against the Chicago Bulls.

Without Turner in the lineup, a healthy Doug McDermott would have likely seen an increased role with the team, though he is dealing with an ankle injury and has missed three games in a row.

As a result, Goga Bitadze and JaKarr Sampson could see more time in the frontcourt.