The Indiana Pacers will be without the services of T.J. McConnell to begin the NBA season.
Head coach Rick Carlisle announced Friday that the sharpshooting guard will be out for at least a month with a hamstring issue.
McConnell, 33, exited early from the team’s preseason-opening 135-134 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
The Arizona product is heading into his 11th NBA season and seventh with the Pacers. In 79 games a season ago, McConnell averaged 9.1 points on .519 shooting, 4.4 assists and 2.4 boards over 17.9 minutes a night. McConnell was a key component to the team’s run to the NBA Finals, where they ultimately fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, appearing in all 23 games and shooting .421 from three.
The Pacers are next in action on Saturday when they host the Thunder in a preseason NBA Finals rematch. They open their regular season on Oct. 23, also at home to the Thunder.