Against the New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers reserve power forward/center Isaiah Jackson suffered a scary non-contact injury that looked eerily similar to what happened to teammate James Wiseman earlier this season. Head coach Rick Carlisle seemed to fear the worst in his postgame press conference following the Pelicans’ 125-118 win on Friday night.

Losing Jackson and Wiseman in quick succession could prove disastrous for the team’s depth. Now, he appears to allow backup big man Jalen Smith, who can score both on face-up shots around the basket and from deep, in addition to being a solid rebounder, to leave for the Central Division rivals, the Chicago Bulls, with a three-year, $27 million contract. The free agent contract was a big mistake.

Read more: Rick Carlisle not sure how serious Isaiah Jackson’s injury is

Now, that seems to be true.

The sources report ESPN’s Shams Charania that Jackson has torn his right Achilles tendon and will now be out for the rest of the season. He will undergo surgery on Monday to correct the condition.

In what will now be his final game of the year, Jackson got off to an encouraging start before having to leave for good. The 6-foot-10 pro scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and dished a dime in 15:35.

The 22-year-old former Wildcat concludes his season with an average of 7.0 points on 60.9 percent field goals and 50 percent foul shots, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1, 0 assists and 0.6 steals.

Jackson was selected with the 22nd pick out of Kentucky in the 2021 NBA Draft and has spent all four of his professional seasons with the Pacers so far. He is in the final season of his current rookie-scale contract and will hit restricted free agency this summer. With his health now a big question mark moving forward, one wonders if Indiana (or anyone else) will be interested in committing long-term money to Jackson.

It’s gotten to the point where the Pacers are running out of healthy bodies behind starting five Myles Turner. The versatile veteran 3-and-D is a unique weapon in the modern NBA, but Indiana will now have to get creative to supplement his absence. Presumably, backup power forward Obi Toppin will be drafted to prepare for small ball for five minutes; Starting power play Pascal Siakam could also serve as an undersized counter center in certain matchups.

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