Pacers fortunate for Aaron Nesmith’s prognosis, Bennedict Mathurin ‘getting close’ to return
INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith is expected to miss four weeks with a left knee sprain, coach Rick Carlisle said, but the player and the team are feeling quite fortunate that the injury wasn’t worse. Carlisle also said high-scoring wing Bennedict Mathurin is “getting close” to a return, which could help the Pacers replace what they lose from Nesmith on the wing.
Nesmith went down very awkwardly in the third quarter of the Pacers’ loss to the Suns on Thursday in Phoenix when he stepped on teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s left foot with his right foot. Robinson-Earl shifted, Nesmith’s right leg slid and his left leg buckled. He had to roll off the floor and then was carried to the locker room. However, Carlisle said after the game the Pacers were hopeful they’d “dodged a bullet” and avoided a more serious injury such as a ligament tear and evaluations since confirmed that.
“It’s likely going to be at least four weeks, so talk to me on [Dec.] 15th,” Carlisle said in his pre-game press conference Saturday before the Pacers’ game against the Raptors. “But it’s very good news. Very, very good news. He’s not in a brace. He’s walking. I say it’s likely going to be four weeks, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be less. It’s unclear at this time, but he’s doing very well and the news was very, very good.”
Nesmith has played a critical role as a 3-point shooter and multi-positional defender for the Pacers since he was acquired from the Celtics in a July, 2022 trade. This year, with the Pacers dealing with numerous injuries including Mathurin’s great toe sprain and the Achilles tendon tear that will cost Tyrese Haliburton the entire season, Nesmith has had to great increase the volume of his shooting. His efficiency numbers are down, but he’s averaging a career-high 15.5 points per game, making him the Pacers’ second leading scorer this season in terms of total points behind All-Star Pascal Siakam.
That makes Mathurin’s return even more important as he scored 62 points in the season’s first two games before his injury sat him down for the the last three weeks. Carlisle suggested his return may be imminent.
“He’s getting close,” Carlisle said. “We did a simulated game kind of workout this morning. He went through things in prep today. He’s moving in a good direction.”
Mathurin and Nesmith are two of seven players listed as out for Saturday’s game against the Raptors. The others are Haliburton, forward Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture), guards Quenton Jackson (right hamstring strain) and Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction) and forward Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain.)
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