Notable players the Pacers won't play early in the season

The day is finally here! Tonight the Indiana Pacers begin their highly anticipated 2024-25 NBA season. Fresh off their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in a decade, the Pacers want to show the basketball world that they are a real threat to make it to next year's NBA Finals.

However, Indiana is having a difficult start to the season. 11 of their first 13 opponents last season were all playoff teams. That includes a matchup against the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, the two teams that played each other in the NBA Finals in June.

However, the Pacers are expected to face some of these teams with less-than-great health, making the start of the season a little easier for the Pacers.

10/23 @Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson (illness)

After his solid rookie season was cut short, Thompson will take on a relatively large role in Detroit this season. However, Pistons fans will have to wait a little longer for the forward to return to action. Due to an illness, Thompson will miss the season opener this evening. In his place, the Pistons will likely rely more heavily on Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and rookie Ron Holland.

10/25 @ New York Knicks: Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) / Mitchell Robinson (ankle)

The Knicks will be without two of their best big men on the roster in the fight against the Pistons.

Achiuwa suffered a hamstring injury in the pre-season finale in New York and is not expected to return until early November. As for Robinson, he is still recovering from an ankle injury that will officially rule him out for the start of the season. Robinson's expected return date is much longer than Achiuwa's as he may miss the rest of the calendar year.

10/27 vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (knee) / Paul George (knee) (possibly)

Due to a knee injury, Embiid was already out of the season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. Additionally, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com, the 2023 MVP will not play in a game for Philadelphia in the first week of the season. That rules him out for the 76ers' game at Indiana, the Pacers' first home game of the season.

Additionally, George is also out for the regular season opener in Philadelphia due to a knee injury. However, the timeline for his return is less clear than Embiid's. There is no certainty that he will miss this game against his former team, but conversely there is no guarantee either. It's definitely worth keeping an eye on its status over the next few days.

10/30 vs. Boston Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis (foot)

The Pacers will face the Porzingis-less Celtics again in a rematch in the Eastern Conference finals. The Latvia native underwent foot surgery for an injury sustained during the NBA Finals. Although he has made good progress, Porzingis is not expected to return to the court until December.

11/4 @ Dallas Mavericks: Dante Exum (wrist)

Earlier this month, Exum underwent surgery on his right wrist. The guard, who enjoyed a career resurgence in Dallas last season, is expected to be out of action until the end of January.