Aaron Nesmith To Miss Time With Knee Injury

Just when it seemed like the Indiana Pacers injury outlook was trending in the right direction, another key player went down for the blue and gold. Aaron Nesmith, the Pacers starting small forward, tumbled to the floor with a knee injury in the Pacers loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

In the third quarter of that game, with the result still hanging in the balance, Nesmith was sliding on defense and got part of his body caught on a teammate while trying to change directions. He landed awkwardly, banging his knee against the court. The 26-year old dragged himself out of the playing area and banged the hardwood in frustration. Given the destructive season of injuries the Pacers are dealing with, some feared the worst.

But so far, it appears the Pacers avoided the most terrible outcomes. Head coach Rick Carlisle explained as much postgame. “Hoping that Aaron’s situation is not very serious. At this point, it looks like we may have dodged a bullet, he may have dodged a bullet in terms of something that is very serious. But he’ll miss some time,” Carlisle shared after the Pacers lost in Phoenix. Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star noted on social media that he saw Nesmith leaving the area with a limp, but walking on both legs.

The Pacers were down by 16 when Nesmith left the game due to injury, but they were surging. Indiana cut their deficit to 10 at one point in the third quarter at 83-73. They were still fighting. But when the final buzzer sounded, the Suns were rolling 133-98. It was a dominant close from Phoenix, and Nesmith’s absence was undeniably a factor.

So far, Carlisle’s initial note that the Pacers appear to have dodged a bullet seems correct. His team hosts the Toronto Raptors tonight, and Nesmith’s injury designation is a left knee sprain. He’s still listed as out, but that’s not nearly as bad as the injury initially felt it could be.

It still could be a lengthy absence, depending on the grade of the sprain. But it could have been worse, and the Pacers will be thankful for that. More specifics will be known soon.

“It hurts. He’s a top player on this team. It hurt us out there tonight. It’s going to affect us,” Carlisle said of Nesmith’s injury. The Pacers are currently about 20 points per 100 possessions better with Nesmith on the floor than off, though he does benefit from starting and playing alongside the Pacers best players – of which he is one. The Vanderbilt product is averaging 15.5 points per game this season.

What will the Pacers do without Aaron Nesmith?

The three-and-D wing is a big loss for the Pacers because he provides valuable skills. In isolation, his absence could be worked around, as the Pacers did last season. But his injury isn’t in isolation, it’s one of several the blue and gold have been dealing with this season.

All of Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, Johnny Furphy, Obi Toppin, Cody Martin, Quenton Jackson, Andrew Nembhard, Taelon Peter, Kam Jones, and Pascal Siakam (for rest, in his case) have missed a game for the Pacers this season. They’ve been forced to be creative to field capable lineups. The current injury report Nesmith is joining also contains Haliburton, Jones, Mathurin, Furphy, Jackson, and Toppin.

The sheer number of injuries the Pacers are dealing with makes replacing Nesmith more challenging. Mathurin, who can operate on the wing, hasn’t played since the second game of the season. Hardship exception signee Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has been starting in that role of late. Furphy, Toppin, and Jackson can also play off-ball perimeter roles and could have stepped into more minutes without Nesmith, but they are all also sidelined.

That leaves Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker as the two most likely candidates to receive a jump in responsibility with Nesmith out. They’ve both started games at times this season, though Sheppard has been an emergency point guard and that is no longer a needed responsibility – at least right now. Both third-year players, who are having down seasons, will be more important without Nesmith. Peter or Monte Morris could be in line for more playing time as well.

The Pacers have already made five transactions to combat their health situation this season, including three 10-day hardship contracts that have cost the team nearly $400k in salary cap hits that were unplanned. If Nesmith’s absence is going to be for multiple weeks, he will contribute towards the Pacers ability to add another hardship player starting on November 20, the day after he misses three-consecutive games.

The Pacers are 1-11 and have been decimated by injuries. This adds to the story of their season as they look to make up for lost time when it comes to wins and development.