Former KU guard Johnny Furphy sheds crutches, attacks ‘difficult’ ACL rehab
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Johnny Furphy is 6 1/2 weeks post ACL surgery and has just stopped using crutches.
- Furphy tore his ACL on Feb. 8 after landing awkwardly following a slam dunk in Toronto.
- Coach Rick Carlisle said Furphy will make a full recovery and have a long career in Indy.
Second-year NBA shooting guard Johnny Furphy had emerged as a starter/key rotation player for the injury-riddled Indiana Pacers in early February.
Then the 21-year-old former Kansas standout suffered a huge setback of his own — a torn right ACL.
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound, 21-year-old native of Melbourne, Australia, who had surgery performed on Feb. 24 by Dr. Brian Cole of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Hospital in Chicago, provided the first extensive update on his rehab and recovery to media members after the team’s 133-121 season-ending loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday in Indy.
“I’m currently 6 1/2 weeks post surgery. I just got off crutches. That was a big milestone for me,” Furphy told reporters. “I’m moving around a lot more now without crutches which has been a big week for me. I’m very happy about it.”
Furphy — he averaged 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 35 games (21 starts) in 2025-26 after averaging 2.1 points in limited duty in 50 games his rookie season — landed awkwardly following a slam dunk in a Feb. 8 road game against the Toronto Raptors.
This injury has a likely recovery time of nine to 12 months.
“No,” Furphy said, asked if he’d been given a timeline for his return to drills. “They (doctors) don’t really want to put any expectations in my head because with these things you can’t really know what to expect. Some people come back early. Some people don’t. So I don’t really want to be thinking about that right now,” Furphy added.
Several weeks before suffering the ACL tear, Furphy had been slowed by a pair of ankle sprains.
“It’s been difficult definitely. It’s a new experience, just on a way bigger level now,” said Furphy who said he’d never suffered a serious injury playing basketball prior to the ACL tear.
“I’m learning a lot and it’s kind of it’s going to be a long journey for sure, but I think I’m going to come out a lot stronger at the other end of it,” Furphy stated.
The second-round pick (No. 35 overall) in the 2024 NBA Draft had been pleased with his progress prior to suffering the season-ending injury.
“Absolutely. I think I was finding my feet. When I was getting some more PT (playing time), I was really starting to settle in, so I’m happy I had that experience. Obviously I learned a lot from that but now it’s just a matter of building on that, not taking any steps backward.”
A fan favorite, Furphy enjoyed being on the bench for Sunday’s game. The loss, however, completed a dismal 19-63 campaign.
“That was the first time I’ve been out there since I’ve been hurt so it was cool to be out there again,” Furphy said of sitting on the bench at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “ Honestly I think that the fan base here is unreal. The support I’ve felt since being injured has been something I didn’t really expect, to be honest, but it’s been pretty special.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle says he’s confident Furphy will have a long, productive career in Indy. If all goes well, Furphy and Tyrese Haliburton (ruptured Achilles sustained in Game 7 of 2025 NBA Finals) will be healthy in 2026-27.
“Furphy will make a full recovery. We can’t wait,” Carlisle told reporters Sunday.
“He is a developing player,” Carlisle said in a past interview. “He is from a great background. You grow up in Australia in their system of development, it is meticulous and consistent. Generally, their coaches philosophically teach the same things. They are fundamentally rock solid and great teammates. He has demonstrated all those things. (He) works extremely hard, and he is going to be a player.”
“We really like him as a prospect. His youthful looks belie his toughness. He is a tough kid and is from a tough family. His brother plays Australian rules football. I know I heard in one of the polls he was rated as the biggest steal in the draft to get him at 35 so those are all great things.”
Furphy was named to the Big 12 all freshman team after averaging 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game during his one-and-done college season (2023-24) at KU. He scored in double figures 14 times as a Jayhawk.
“I know they love him,” KU coach Bill Self said of the Pacers’ front office opinion of Furphy. “So yes, it (ACL injury) is disappointing but he’s young. It’s also a blip on the radar. You know, rehab it hard and come back, and he’ll be as good as ever,” Self added.
