On the bright side, Obi Toppin will have plenty of time to get over the strained hamstring that already had him on the sidelines.
Toppin suffered “a partial stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot,” and will undergo surgery to repair it, the Pacers announced. When asked about it, coach Rick Carlisle said not to ask about it again until Feb. 1, suggesting he will miss at least three months (that timeline matches up with the average recovery time from this surgery for NBA players).
Obi Toppin has been diagnosed with a partial stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
He will travel to New York and have the injury surgically repaired. pic.twitter.com/sjqa0E19rO
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 31, 2025
This is what is known as a Jones fracture, and it’s relatively common in the NBA. Players who have had it include Kevin Durant and, currently, Max Struss of the Heat.
Obi Toppin Injury News: Toppin is undergoing surgery to address a stress injury in his 5th metatarsal. 5th metatarsal fractures are relatively common in the NBA & can occur in variety of ways in multiple locations. Average time lost for in-season 5th metatarsal fractures in the…
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) October 31, 2025
Toppin was averaging 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a night for Indiana off the bench.
The list of injuries for Indiana is long: Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles tear, out for season), T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder), Bennedict Mathurin (big toe), Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction), and Johnny Furphy (foot). Now, Toppin is on that list for an extended amount of time.
Because of all the injuries, the league has granted a hardship exception to the Pacers five games into the season, and they are expected to use it to sign forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day hardship exception contract, Shams Charania reports at ESPN.