The Pacers got another tough injury as Aaron Nesmith had to be helped to the locker room in their loss to the Suns on Thursday. It’s the latest setback for a franchise that’s been going through struggles early this season.
Nesmith suffered a knee injury on a play where, while playing defense, his right foot ended up on Jeremiah Robinson-Earl‘s foot. That led to him crumpling down in pain on the court. Fortunately, per Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, it doesn’t sound like Nesmith suffered a long-term injury.
“Hoping that Aaron’s situation is not very serious,” Carlisle said after the game. “At this point, it looks like we may have dodged a bullet, he may have dodged a bullet in terms of something that’s very serious. But he’ll miss some time.”
The Pacers have endured a brutal season coming off their NBA Finals appearance last season, where they lost in seven games to the Thunder. Injuries have been a main part of that as they’re 1-11 on the season. The Pacers are coming off a 133-98 blowout loss to the Suns in what’s becoming a gap year for the organization.
Tyrese Haliburton isn’t expected to play this year after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the Finals last year. Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard and others have also missed time in some form or another. Nesmith looks like he’s going to sit games, as well, though it’s unclear for how long.
Nesmith has enjoyed a solid season after breaking out during the playoffs last season. He’s averaging career-highs with 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds through 11 games, all starts. The efficiency isn’t great as he’s making 36.7% of his shots, though he’s at 37.3% on 3-pointers. He signed an extension with the Pacers ahead of this season.
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