Jarace Walker was cleared on Tuesday's injury report after a week listed as day-to-day. The Pacers forward is available for Wednesday's season opener at New Orleans.
What happened
The Pacers' injury report filed at 5:46 PM ET on Tuesday, Oct 20 listed Jarace Walker as cleared. The 23-year-old forward had been day-to-day since Oct 13, when the report listed the issue only as undisclosed. No further detail was given at the time and the report added no comment on the change in status. The clearance comes one day before Indiana's first regular-season game of 2026-27. The timing of the original listing, during the preseason, means Walker will not miss a regular-season game over this issue.
What it means for the Pacers
Indiana opens the season at New Orleans on Wednesday, Oct 21 at 8:00 PM ET, and Walker is available for it. Last season he played 76 games at 25.7 minutes a night, averaging 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. With him sidelined, minutes at forward went to Kobe Brown at 24.7 and Jalen Slawson at 23.9, behind Pascal Siakam at 33.2 and Aaron Nesmith at 29.7. Walker's return matters more because the rest of the report is thin. Nesmith is out with a left hamstring injury, Johnny Furphy is out with a right knee injury and T.J. McConnell is out with a right hamstring injury.
What to watch
The next injury report ahead of the Pelicans game will confirm whether Walker's clearance holds through game day. The bigger questions for Indiana's opener are Nesmith, Furphy and McConnell, all listed as out with no return dates announced. Walker's workload on Wednesday is worth tracking after a week off the floor, especially with Nesmith's minutes at forward needing to be covered.
Is Jarace Walker playing at Pelicans on Wednesday?
Yes, as of Tuesday's injury report. Walker was cleared after being listed as day-to-day since Oct 13 and is available for the 8:00 PM ET opener at New Orleans.
When will Jarace Walker be back?
He is back now. Walker was cleared on Oct 20 and did not miss a regular-season game. The original issue was listed only as undisclosed.