Kelly Oubre Jr. Ruled Out Monday as Pacers Pivot to the Bench

Kelly Oubre Jr. is officially sitting out Monday night with a knee issue, which might actually be a relief for anyone forced to watch his shot chart lately.

The Indiana Pacers are keeping their veteran wing in street clothes for the second straight night. After missing Sunday's tilt against the Dallas Mavericks, Oubre is officially ruled out for Monday's matchup against the Houston Rockets.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Kelly Oubre (knee) ruled out Monday.'"

If you have been tracking the box scores, you know Oubre has not exactly been cooking. Early season returns have him shooting around 20 percent from the floor. That is the kind of offensive production that makes a lingering knee problem feel like a convenient excuse to hit the reset button.

Throwing a hobbled, slumping player out there on the second night of a back-to-back is just bad business. Instead, Indiana is handing the keys to the bench. Justin Edwards and Oshae Brissett are about to soak up those vacant minutes, which is great news if you enjoy watching guys fight for their NBA lives on a random Monday.

For anyone trying to make sense of the prop market, taking Oubre out of the mix removes a wildly unpredictable variable. The Pacers' shot distribution gets a lot cleaner against Houston without a guy who never met a contested jumper he did not like.

There is no concrete timeline for Oubre to get back on the court. Until Indiana provides a real medical update, Edwards and Brissett have a golden opportunity to prove they deserve a permanent spot in the rotation.