Source: Justin Casterline / Getty
The Indianapolis Colts confirmed what many had already suspected on Wednesday when they announced that promising rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will miss the rest of the season as he undergoes surgery on his injured throwing shoulder.
The news was certainly deflating for Colts fans; the promise and intrigue of this season surrounded the development of Richardson. Gardner Minshew is a fun guy, and as good of a backup as they come, but he is also not the future of the franchise. With Richardson done, fan interest could start to dwindle as the struggles mount.
Enter the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers are coming off a surprisingly fun season, one that saw them exceed expectations as Tyrese Haliburton established himself as the face of the franchise. Now, Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner, and the rest of the Pacers young core will welcome in rookies like Jarace Walker and Ben Shepard and will look to build on the promise of last year.
Fan interest in both the Pacers and the Colts feels like it’s at the highest point it’s been at in quite some time. Both teams have young, promising pieces in place. Now, with fans not able to see one of those promising pieces in Anthony Richardson until 2024, they could turn their full attention to the Pacers.
No one can predict how the rest of the season will go for the Colts. They could still be competitive and surprise some people, regardless of how poorly they played against the Jaguars. That being said, it does feel like this Pacers season is arriving not a moment too soon.
During Wednesday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Chris Denari of Bally Sports Indiana. Chris spoke about the promise this Pacers team has.
“I think it’s a very deep team. I think from 1 to 15 this is as good a roster as the Pacers have had. I’m not saying it’s the best roster you know maybe at the top, I think it’s pretty good, but there are going to be guys, John, that are like 13th, 14th, and 15th that could be in a rotation in the NBA and they’re not playing.”
Listen to JMV’s full conversation with Chris Denari and more down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
