NBA
Pacers’ Jarace Walker Out At Least 2 Games to Start NBA Finals
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All posts by James FoglioUpdated03 Jun 2025
Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker will miss at least the first two games of the 2025 NBA Finals after injuring his right ankle in the Eastern Conference finals clincher, coach Rick Carlisle told 107.5 The Fan on Monday.
“He’s going to be out for a while. I don’t know how long. He certainly will not play in the first two games of the Finals,” Carlisle said. “The fact that the Finals are stretched out over a pretty significant period of time gives him a chance to recover.”
Carlisle did not offer details on the severity of Walker’s injury but acknowledged that he was still on crutches as of Sunday. Walker’s ankle had swollen significantly.
Jarace Walker lands awkwardly and he is down (with a replay) pic.twitter.com/NIcSRhqJg0
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 1, 2025
Walker was injured early in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Game 6 over the New York Knicks while defending a drive. He leaped to block a shot and landed on the side of his right foot.
His right leg appeared to bend awkwardly. He stayed down for two more possessions before crawling off the court. He needed help from two trainers to get off the floor and did not return to the game.
Walker will not play against the Oklahoma City Thunder until June 11 at the earliest. Game 1 is on Thursday.
Pacers Acquired Draft Rights To Jarace Walker In 2023
Through 12 playoff games off the bench this postseason, Walker has averaged 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per contest while shooting 38.2% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 50% at the foul line.
Although Walker did not play much in the Knicks series, he did make his only shot Saturday, finishing with two points in seven minutes. He also scored six points in Indiana’s Game 5 loss.
The Washington Wizards selected Walker with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 draft and traded him to the Pacers along with two future second-round picks for the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly, the seventh overall pick.
Walker became the highest-drafted prospect from the University of Houston since Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon was taken with the first overall pick by the Houston Rockets in 1984.
