Against the New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers forward/backup center Isaiah Jackson suffered a scary non-contact injury that looked eerily similar to what happened to his teammate James Wiseman earlier this season. Head coach Rick Carlisle seemed to fear the worst in his postgame presser following the Pelicans’ 125-118 victory Friday night.

Losing Jackson and Wiseman in quick succession could prove disastrous for the team’s depth. Now, it appears he’s allowing backup man Jalen Smith — who can score with both face-up shots around the basket and from deep while also being a solid rebounder — to leave for Central Division rivals the Chicago Bulls , over a period of three years, of 27 million dollars. The free agent deal was a big mistake.

Read more: Rick Carlisle Unsure of the severity of Isaiah Jackson’s injury

Now, that seems to be true.

Sources inform ESPN’s Shams Charania that Jackson tore his right Achilles tendon and will now be out for the rest of the season. He will undergo surgery on Monday to correct the disease.

In what will now be his final game of the year, Jackson got off to an encouraging start before having to go for good. The 6-foot-10 pro scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a dime in 15:35.

The 22-year-old former Wildcat finished the season averaging 7.0 points on 60.9 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from the foul line, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.0 assists and 0.6 steals.

Jackson was selected with the no. 22 pick out of Kentucky in the 2021 NBA draft and has spent all four pro seasons with the Pacers so far. He is in the final season of his current rookie-scale contract and will hit restricted free agency this summer. With his health now a major question mark heading into it, we wonder if Indiana (or anyone) will be interested in committing long-term money to Jackson.

It got to the point where the Pacers ran out of healthy bodies behind the five Myles Turner. The versatile, 3-and-D vet is a unique weapon in the modern NBA, but Indiana will now have to get creative to supplement his absence. Backup forward Obi Toppin will likely be drafted in to suit up for five minutes of small ball — starting power forward Pascal Siakam could also serve as a speedy undersized center in certain matchups.

More Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin enters the scrum with the Pelicans after the loss