Glenn Robinson III to start in place of Monta Ellis (groin) vs Charlotte

UPDATE: 5:20 pm: Monta Ellis will be sidelined all this week due to a right groin strain. He’ll miss Monday’s home game against Charlotte, plus a three-game road trip with stops in Miami, New Orleans, and Detroit.

Ellis has missed a total of three games since the 2011-12 season.

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Glenn Robinson III will start in place of Monta Ellis Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets. Ellis, who did not play in the second half of Saturday’s win over Portland due to a sore groin, was ruled out by the team on Monday.

“Glenn will go into Monta’s place starting at the two,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said after morning shootaround. “C.J. (Miles) will slide back to the three spot tonight and we can look for Lavoy (Allen) to play some minutes at the four.”

For Robinson III, it’ll be his sixth start this season in 23 games. He filled in earlier this year as Paul George was sidelined with a sore left ankle.

“Glenn has stepped in before for Paul and has done a solid job,” McMillan said. “Really, our wings are similar as far as what we need from them out on the floor. It’s really not a big change for Glenn. Just a change in the size of the floor and we’re hoping that he can come in and do the things that he’s done when he stepped in for Paul.”

Other options include Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles. But remember, Stuckey stated his preference in coming off the bench to Frank Vogel halfway through his first season as a Pacer (2014-15).

“I just knew I would have a lot more opportunity to create for myself and also for my teammates, also to look for my shot a little bit more and be more aggressive,” Stuckey explained in early 2015. “Obviously with that first unit, we have a lot of people out there. … I thought it would be better for me to come in and just be aggressive and play my game, and to be able to create.

“I love the role that I’m in right now. … I love doing that so I think I’ll stick with that.”

Robinson III is averaging 6.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this season. However, as a starter in five games, he contributed an average of 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

[From the summer: Podcast with GRIII]

Monta Ellis is as durable of a player as they come. He has missed a grand total of three games of 328 (.009) over the last four seasons. And since former coach Frank Vogel opted to hold Ellis and Paul George out in Game No. 82 last season, this is Ellis’ first time not being available since signing with the Pacers prior to the 2015-16 season.

“It’s part of my job and something I take pride in,” he said last spring.

Specifically, it’s a right groin strain. Ellis was seen in basketball gear after shootaround.

“We’ll look at him tomorrow again,” McMillan said of Ellis, whose numbers — 9.7 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game — are the lowest since his rookie season.

Meanwhile, the Pacers (12-12) look to put an end to the Hornets’ (14-10) success over them. The Hornets swept the three-game series last season, and won earlier this year in Charlotte by 22. During Charlotte’s four-game win streak over Indiana, they have won by an average of 13 points.

“They are a solid team,” coach McMillan said. “Defensively, they do a good job of defending and taking away the paint. You have to move the ball against this team. You have to screen them. You certainly have to get movement in your offense and attack them. They are a very disciplined team offensively. We’re going to have to be physical with this group. [It’s] a very similar challenge in guarding (Kemba) Walker as it was in our last game against Portland.”