Pacers coach says KU’s Johnny Furphy will make ‘full recovery’ from ACL tear
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pacers coach Carlisle expects Furphy to make a full recovery from ACL tear.
- Furphy will undergo surgery and face an 8-12 month rehabilitation timeline.
- Team notes Furphy’s shooting gains, next‑season deal and roster support.
The NBA’s Indiana Pacers are confident former University of Kansas guard Johnny Furphy will be able to overcome a huge setback — the ACL tear he suffered after completing a one-handed dunk during Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.
It’s an injury that has ended Furphy’s 2025-26 season and, after surgery, will sideline the 21-year-old Melbourne, Australia native through the summer months, when a lot of improvement in one’s game is made.
“This is a very unfortunate situation but time goes by quickly. He’s very young. I expect him to make a full recovery,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday on 1075 The Fan radio in Indianapolis.
“It’ll be several months. You hear a different time frame with all this stuff, eight to 12 months. No one knows for sure. He’s a great kid. He’s very disappointed and so are we, but he will be back,” Carlisle added.
Furphy, who averaged 5.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 18.5 minutes per game in 34 games in this, his second season in the league, was to undergo surgery by “one of the best (surgeons) in the world,” Carlisle said.
“Yesterday I spent about a half hour with him in his hotel room. One of his good friends from Australia is here. His summer trainer is here,” Carlisle said. “I just spent 30 minutes with him just laying it out, giving him names of guys that have made full recoveries from the exact same injury situation, whatever it is.
“We’re just trying to encourage him, let him know everybody will be with him. We feel his pain too. It’s obvious we have a strong belief in him. He will make a full recovery.”
Some players who have recovered from ACL tears and continued their NBA careers: Derrick Rose, Al Harrington, Baron Davis, Jamal Murray, Zach LaVine, Kyle Lowry and Kristaps Porziņģis.
Furphy, the No. 35 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 7.6 minutes per game in 50 games in 2024-25, his rookie season.
“There are so many things, the defense, the rebounding, the running. His shooting is on the rise. He’s grown in so many ways,” Carlisle said.
Furphy, who was slowed by a pair of ankle sprains to start the 2025-26 season, hit 47% of his shots prior to suffering the ACL tear, including 32.4% from 3. As a rookie he hit 38.0% of his shots and 30% of his 3s.
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Furphy averaged 9.0 points a game on 46.6% shooting (35.2% from 3) during the 2023-24 season, his one-and-done season at KU.
Furphy is under contract with the Pacers for next season at $2.3 million with the team holding a $2.5 million option for the 2027-28 season.
According to ESPN, Furphy’s older sister Holly, a striker for the A-League Australian soccer club Melbourne Victory, had ACL surgery in her first year of college soccer at Santa Clara. She recovered to play two years at the California school and now has started her pro career.
