Pacers' Rick Carlisle updates status of Johnny Furphy, Quenton Jackson

If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rick Carlisle said the Pacers are seeing progress in two-way contract guard Quenton Jackson and forward Johnny Furphy and that rookie guard Kam Jones has also made important steps in his recovery, though his return is further out.

The Pacers are still a long way from completely healthy with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton out for the season, forward Obi Toppin out until at least Feb. 1 and forward Aaron Nesmith out for approximately three more weeks, but the three young players could make a positive impact when they return.

Furphy has been out since Nov. 3 with a left ankle sprain. He left the arena on crutches that night, but he has made steady progress toward a return.

"Johnny's situation is getting better," Carlisle said in his pre-game press conference on Monday. "He's started doing more activity on the floor. I would think in the next couple of weeks sometime he'll be back."

Jackson has been out with a strained hamstring since the same day Furphy went out with his ankle. Jackson is averaging 11.8 points per game in five appearances this season, so they could use him back, but they also need to be careful with him because of his style of play.

"Maybe in the next couple of weeks sometime," Carlisle said. "Don't know when. I'm not saying he's going to be back in two weeks. It could be longer. We got some good news yesterday on progress that he's making, but hamstrings are not to be messed around with. He's a dynamic player and we gotta make sure he's right before we get him back out there."

Carlisle said the stress reaction in Kam Jones' lower back has now fully healed, but that it was a painful injury and also that all the time away will make the ramp-up more difficult. Jones missed all of training camp, so he hasn't even practiced with the team yet.

"Kam has been out so long," Carlisle said. "He is recovered from the back injury. It was a stress reaction in one of the vertebrae. I don't know if it was a stress fracture, but whatever it was, it required immobilization. The spine is a very mobile set of joints. He has recovered from that, but now he begins a process of ramp-up that's going to take some time. I think it's reasonable to assume that when he is ready to play that his first games will probably be in the G League to get him back healthy. It was unlucky that he came up with that out of nowhere, but he is doing better now."

Get IndyStar's Pacers coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Pacers Update newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers injury report: Rick Carlisle updates Johnny Furphy, Quenton Jackson