via Indy Cornrows
It's been quite a season for Marquis Daniels in his new home. As expected, there's been a rash of injuries and there have been unexpected off the court issues. Well, after missing the last 17 games with left knee tendonitis, it was finally decided to officially end his season.
For the season, Marquis was averaging 7.1ppg, 1.8 rpg, and 1.3apg in 18 minutes. Not overwhelming, but he had really started to come on before his latest injury.
That the team has gone 3-14 in those 17 games reveals how much Daniels has been missed by the Pacers.
A heralded arrival when he was acquired from Dallas on July 1 for Austin Croshere, Daniels was expected to play a vital role off the bench both as a scorer and perimeter defender. Those plans were sidetracked by the hamstring injury that wiped out most of the month of October.
When he rejoined the team, Daniels was behind in just about every way possible. A valuable month of conditioning and preparation was lost. He had to play catch-up while the team was moving forward.
But he did catch up. In fact, one of the motivations for the eight-player trade with Golden State in January was the creation of a clearly defined role. Daniels stepped right into the rotation and thrived, averaging 24.6 minutes, 13.7 points and 54.1 percent shooting in 11 post-trade appearances. It was a stark contrast to the averages of 15.6 minutes, 5.0 points and 39.6 percent shooting prior to the trade.
"Since the trade, he was one of the guys we felt was going to become a more important player," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "He's become a major part of our situation and losing him was a blow, it really was. But that's just another one of the things we've got to deal with and finding other guys to make plays has been a real challenge."
When he rejoined the team, Daniels was behind in just about every way possible. A valuable month of conditioning and preparation was lost. He had to play catch-up while the team was moving forward.
But he did catch up. In fact, one of the motivations for the eight-player trade with Golden State in January was the creation of a clearly defined role. Daniels stepped right into the rotation and thrived, averaging 24.6 minutes, 13.7 points and 54.1 percent shooting in 11 post-trade appearances. It was a stark contrast to the averages of 15.6 minutes, 5.0 points and 39.6 percent shooting prior to the trade.
"Since the trade, he was one of the guys we felt was going to become a more important player," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "He's become a major part of our situation and losing him was a blow, it really was. But that's just another one of the things we've got to deal with and finding other guys to make plays has been a real challenge."