Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Aaron Nesmith Projected To Miss Four Weeks With Sprained Knee

November 15th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

After saying the Pacers appeared to have “dodged a bullet” when Aaron Nesmith was injured on Thursday, coach Rick Carlisle told reporters tonight that his small forward is expected to miss four weeks, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Nesmith has been diagnosed with a sprained left knee, and he and the team are grateful that there was no ligament damage, Carlisle added.

“It’s likely going to be at least four weeks, so talk to me on the 15th (of December),” Carlisle said in his pre-game press conference. “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.”

As Dopirak details, Nesmith injured the knee when his right foot came down on teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl‘s left foot. Nesmith’s right leg slid after the collision, causing his left knee to buckle. He rolled off the floor and had to be helped to the locker room.

Nesmith played a crucial role in Indiana’s run to the NBA Finals last season, and he’s been asked to carry more of the scoring load as the Pacers have been decimated by injuries during a 1-11 start. He’s averaging a career-high 15.5 PPG through 11 games, but his shooting numbers have declined sharply to 36.7% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range.

Carlisle offered some encouraging injury news on Saturday as Bennedict Mathurin is nearing a return from a right great toe sprain. Mathurin scored 36 and 26 points in the first two games of the season before being sidelined.

“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.”

Central Notes: Nesmith, Pistons Streak, Mitchell, Bucks

November 15th, 2025 at 11:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

The injury-riddled Pacers suffered another one on Thursday as forward Aaron Nesmith suffered a left knee sprain. He won’t play in Saturday’s home game against the Raptors but head coach Rick Carlisle believes the team may have “dodged a bullet” regarding his injury, the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak reports.

The Pacers think Nesmith avoided a “very serious” injury, according to Carlisle. Nesmith is averaging a career-high 15.5 points per game.

We have more from the Central Division:

The injury-depleted Pistons made it nine in a row with a win over Philadelphia on Friday. They rallied from a 12-point, third-quarter deficit despite Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris watching in street clothes from the bench. “They’ve just got a nastiness to them, and that’s the fun part about our group,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “They like it when it gets thick. They like it when it gets messy and it gets ugly. That’s where they thrive. We like to take people there; we like to push people’s buttons and see how they respond. We’ve just got a bunch of nasty dogs in that locker room, and they love it.”
The Cavaliers didn’t reach the Finals last season despite being a top seed. That’s why Donovan Mitchell isn’t concerned about regaining the No. 1 seed this season. “That’s it — playing well at the right time,” Mitchell told D.J. Siddiqi of VideoGamer.com. “Would we love to do both? 1,000%. I’m not going to sit here and say we wouldn’t want to be the number one seed. At the same token, we saw last year that you can do all the things, but if you’re not ready when that time goes and if you’re not necessarily healthy, it doesn’t really matter what you’ve done during the regular season. “Would I love to be the No. 1 seed? Sure. But if we’re not, am I going to be panicking? No. As long as we’re playing our best basketball at the right time, that’s all that really matters.”
The Bucks are off to an 8-5 start and The Athletic’s Eric Nehm shares his thoughts on what he’s seen from the team this season.

Central Notes: Nesmith, Walker, Terry, Pistons

November 14th, 2025 at 7:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Nesmith had to crawl off the court in Thursday’s loss at Phoenix, but the Pacers are hopeful that his injury won’t keep him out for long, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Nesmith was getting into a defensive stance in the third quarter when his left foot bent the wrong way (Twitter video link). He was helped to the locker room, and the team announced that he wouldn’t return due to knee soreness.

Nesmith was limping and appeared to have an ice bag on the knee as he left the arena, but he wasn’t using crutches, Dopirak observes. Coach Rick Carlisle was optimistic that it isn’t something severe like a ligament tear.

“Hoping that Aaron’s situation is not very serious,” he said. “At this point, it looks like we may have dodged a bullet in terms of something that is very serious. But he will miss some time.”

Losing Nesmith would add to a catastrophic run of injuries for the defending Eastern Conference champions that began with Tyrese Haliburton‘s Achilles tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Seven players were sidelined heading into Thursday’s game, which Indiana lost by 35 points to fall to 1-11.

Nesmith would be a major loss if he has to miss any significant time. Dopirak points out that he’s handling an increased offensive load for the short-handed team in addition to being its most versatile defender.

“It hurts,” Carlisle said. “He’s a top player on this team. It hurt us out there tonight and it’s going to affect us.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Another rough shooting night for Jarace Walker brought his field goal percentage down to 29.7% for the season, Dopirak tweets. The third-year power forward missed all 10 of his shots in Phoenix after going 1-of-8 in the previous game at Utah. He was removed from the Pacers‘ starting lineup on Tuesday after starting seven straight games.
Bulls guard Dalen Terry isn’t getting the playing time he had hoped for, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Terry, who will be a restricted free agent after not receiving a rookie scale extension, has appeared in seven of the team’s 11 games, but is averaging just 5.9 minutes per night. “I feel like it’s been a situation I’ve been in my whole life, to be honest with you,” he said. “With this being a contract year and things not starting like you want them to, guys can go into a dark place. But I just look at it like, ‘Man, it’s just basketball, and we’re winning right now.’ So my feelings aren’t really the priority.”
The 10-2 Pistons are off to the best start in the East, but they have a lengthy injury report for Friday’s NBA Cup game against Philadelphia, notes Hunter Patterson of the Athletic (Twitter links). Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart are all listed as questionable, while Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris are out.

Pacers Reportedly Eyeing Jose Alvarado

November 13th, 2025 at 9:38pm CST by Rory Maher

With Tyrese Haliburton out for the season due to a torn Achilles tendon, the Pacers have been on the lookout for help at point guard, having cycled through multiple veterans during the preseason and later cutting James Wiseman to add Mac McClung. McClung was subsequently replaced by Monte Morris, whom the team initially intended to bring in for camp before discovering he had a calf injury that has since healed.

Head coach Rick Carlisle said McClung was the most impressive participant in a three-player free agent workout on October 27, which is why the Pacers signed him. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), the other two participants in that session were Morris and Cody Martin, whose 10-day hardship contract with Indiana expires on Friday.

Martin, who missed Thursday’s game in Phoenix due to an illness (Twitter link via the team), is unlikely to return to the Pacers unless they’re granted another hardship exception, Fischer writes.

In addition to keeping close tabs on free agents, Indiana has also been monitoring the trade market for backcourt help. Sources tell Fischer that Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado is of particular interest to the Pacers.

Alvarado, 27, went undrafted in 2021 after a standout college career at Georgia Tech. The 27-year-old is making $4.5MM this season and holds a player option for 2026/27 worth the same amount.

Through 10 games this season, Alvarado is averaging 6.7 points, 2.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 18.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .423/.429/.800.

Central Notes: Giannis, Pacers, Ball, Porter, Essengue

November 13th, 2025 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out Wednesday’s game vs. Charlotte due to what the team referred to as patellar tendinopathy affecting his left knee. However, speaking to reporters prior to the game, head coach Doc Rivers suggested that Antetokounmpo’s absence was more about managing his workload during a tough part of the schedule rather than an injury the team is seriously concerned about.

“What are we, five games in seven days?” Rivers said (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). “It’s just a lot. And we looked at this before it all started, this was the game, if we were going to sit him, just because it was right in the middle and it gives him four days off.

“This one was a little rough because we weren’t sure. I know I wanted him to (sit). I asked him before (shootaround), trying to talk him into not playing, which is rare for me to do. But it just felt like health-wise, this is the right decision.”

Antetokounmpo is off to an excellent start this fall, averaging 33.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 32.9 minutes per game through his first 10 outings. Wednesday’s contest was the second he has missed this season, and while Milwaukee picked up a victory without its star forward vs. Golden State on October 30, the team dropped last night’s game in Charlotte, falling to 7-5 on the season.

We have more from around the Central:

The Pacers had some players back from injuries on Tuesday, including point guard T.J. McConnell making his season debut. However, the club gave up a season-high 152 points in a blowout loss to Utah, prompting McConnell to refer to the defensive effort as “pitiful,” per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). “We just have to be better in terms of fight, in terms of pride,” McConnell said. “That’s really not gonna get it done.” The defending Eastern Conference champions are now 1-10 to open the season.
With Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell among the Cavaliers‘ regulars inactive on Wednesday in Miami, Lonzo Ball earned his second start of the season and reserve guard Craig Porter Jr. played a season-high 32 minutes. Fred Katz of The Athletic looks at how Ball is fitting in with the Cavs so far this season, while Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required) covers Porter’s “heroic” night — the third-year guard had 19 points and nine assists, with a game-high +21 on/off court mark, in the victory over the Heat.
Bulls rookie forward Noa Essengue had a big G League debut on Tuesday, scoring 28 points in 29 minutes for the Windy City Bulls, according to Julie Poe of The Chicago Tribune, who shares five takeaways from Essengue’s performance. However, Essengue remains an odd man out in Chicago’s frontcourt rotation, so this won’t change the team’s development plan for him, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I think sometimes you can get preoccupied with the scoring aspect of it,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “I know he had a big night offensively, but if he’s getting out in transition, getting to the backboard, slashing, cuts, that’s great. I think we all know the shooting part of it needs to continue to develop, his body needs to continue to develop, but can he get things into the game we’re going to need him to?”

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Embiid, McConnell, Robinson, Ball

November 11th, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Trae Young is currently on the shelf with a strained MCL, while Kristaps Porzingis isn’t yet producing at his usual level, but the Hawks have picked up back-to-back wins due in large part to big games from unlikely sources.

As Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, third-year forward Mouhamed Gueye came up big in Saturday’s victory over the Lakers, scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting while also contributing seven rebounds and seven assists. It was a career night for Gueye, who was making his second start of the season with several regulars – including Porzingis and Jalen Johnson – sidelined.

“He’s been hungry,” head coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “He wants to get better. He’s putting the time in games, like tonight, he gets even more opportunity to do that, obviously, on the floor.”

Gueye had a quiet night off the bench on Monday vs. the Clippers, but fellow reserve Vit Krejci set his own career high in points (28), as well as three-pointers, knocking down 8-of-10 tries from beyond the arc. As Williams details, Krejci’s hot shooting helped fuel Atlanta’s comeback, and his banked-in three-pointer to beat the shot clock with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter helped seal the win (video link).

Both Gueye and Krejci are on multiyear minimum-salary contracts, so the Hawks have the ability to retain them on team-friendly deals beyond this season.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Sixers center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of Tuesday’s contest vs. Boston due to right knee soreness, the team announced today (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). It’s Embiid’s first non-scheduled absence so far this season, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. It’s also worth noting that it’s not the knee that has been a recurring issue for the big man in recent years — Embiid underwent surgery on his left knee in the spring. He’s being evaluated further by team doctors, per the Sixers.
Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell, who was said over the weekend to be “getting closer” to making his season debut, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game in Utah, according to the team (Twitter link). McConnell has yet to play this fall due to a left hamstring strain, but his return appears to be imminent — if he’s unable to suit up against the Jazz, the veteran’s next opportunity to play would be on Thursday in Phoenix.
Mitchell Robinson has played sparingly so far this season, suiting up for just four of the Knicks‘ first nine games as the team carefully manages his workload. However, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, Robinson has made the most of his limited role, grabbing nine offensive rebounds in 16 minutes vs. Minnesota last Wednesday, then finishing as a remarkable +40 in less than 17 minutes of action against Brooklyn on Sunday. “I don’t really fall into the plus-minus stuff a ton, but it’s another amazing stat,” head coach Mike Brown said. “He keeps throwing up these stats that are amazing. … To impact the game that way — again, not a huge believer in it — but to see a number like that in the short amount of time he was playing, was just amazing.”
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the Greensboro Swarm (Twitter link). Ball has missed Charlotte’s past four games due to a right ankle impingement, but head coach Charles Lee expressed enthusiasm on Monday about the progress the 24-year-old has made in his recovery (Twitter video link via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).

Pacers Sign Jeremiah Robinson-Earl To Second 10-Day Deal

November 11th, 2025 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl‘s initial 10-day contract with Indiana expired overnight on Monday, but he won’t be going anywhere. According to a press release from the team, Robinson-Earl has signed a second 10-day deal with the Pacers.

Robinson-Earl, who turned 25 last Monday, made five appearances during his first 10 days with Indiana, averaging 5.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per contest. The 6’8″ forward has shot just 32.3% from the floor so far, making 10-of-31 field goal attempts, and the Pacers have been outscored by 47 points during his 88 minutes on the court.

Still, unless Indiana starts getting healthier within the next 10 days, Robinson-Earl will likely continue to play regular minutes for the banged-up club, which is missing Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Obi Toppin, among several others.

The Pacers actually have a full 15-man roster, but have qualified for multiple hardship exceptions due to their injury situation, allowing them to temporarily exceed the usual roster limit. They also have Cody Martin on a 10-day hardship contract.

Robinson-Earl’s new deal will run through November 20, lining him up to be available for five more games. It will pay him $141,463 while carrying a cap hit of $131,970. He won’t be eligible to be brought back on another 10-day contract once it expires, since players can’t sign more than two 10-days with the same time in a given league year.

Pacers’ T.J. McConnell ‘Getting Closer’ To Return

November 9th, 2025 at 7:45pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle provided an encouraging update on injured point guard T.J. McConnell on Sunday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required).

McConnell, 33, strained his left hamstring in Indiana’s preseason opener on October 7. Carlisle said a couple days later that the veteran backup would miss at least a month — this is the first official update since then.

“T.J. is getting closer,” Carlisle said. “I know he had a workout today. I hadn’t heard how that went but I heard he’s been ramping up pretty steadily.”

According to Dopirak, Carlisle also gave an update on rookie guard Kam Jones, who has been out since early October due to a lower back stress reaction. Carlisle said the 38th pick in this year’s draft is making progress but his return is not imminent.

As Dopirak notes, the Pacers have been battered by a series of injuries this fall, with nine players out tonight at Golden State. The team has been hit particularly hard at point guard, though Andrew Nembhard was able to return yesterday after missing seven games (and most of an eighth) because of a left shoulder injury.

The defending Eastern Conference champions are currently 1-8 amid the discouraging wave of injuries.

Injury Notes: Reaves, Ball, Bridges, AD, Gafford, Giddey, Nesmith

November 9th, 2025 at 5:32pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past three games with a right groin strain, Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been upgraded to questionable for Monday’s contest in Charlotte, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic.

Reaves had been on a tear to open 2025/26 prior to the injury, averaging 31.1 points, 9.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals on .489/.344/.903 shooting in seven games (37.9 MPG). He’s widely expected to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 — he holds a $14.9MM player option for next season he’s virtually certain to decline.

For the Hornets, star point guard LaMelo Ball will miss his fourth straight contest with a right ankle impingement, while forward Miles Bridges is questionable due to back spasms, per the team (Twitter link).

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Mavericks big men Anthony Davis (left calf strain) and Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain) are both questionable for Monday’s game against Milwaukee, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays (via Twitter). Davis, a 10-time All-Star, has missed the past five games for the Mavs. Gafford, meanwhile, aggravated his right ankle sprain — an injury he initially sustained on the first day of training camp — during Friday’s loss to Memphis, but was able to play 19 minutes in Saturday’s victory at Washington.
Fifth-year guard Josh Giddey is off to a strong start for the Bulls, averaging 21.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 9.3 APG and 1.0 SPG on .463/.385/.755 shooting in nine games (34.1 MPG). However, he sprained his right ankle on Saturday when he was crossed over by Cavs forward De’Andre Hunter (YouTube link), and has been listed as questionable for Monday’s game vs. San Antonio, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Pacers will be without nine players on Sunday at Golden State, the team announced (via Twitter). The latest additions to the injury report are starting forwards Aaron Nesmith (right forearm contusion) and Pascal Siakam, who is resting on the second night of a back-to-back — Indiana lost in Denver on Saturday. The Pacers have two players (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Cody Martin) on 10-day hardship contracts as a result of the team’s surplus of injuries.

Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard Expected To Return Saturday

November 8th, 2025 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past seven games due to a left shoulder strain he sustained early in the Pacers‘ season opener, guard Andrew Nembhard has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s matchup at Denver.

While that injury designation theoretically suggests there’s a 50/50 chance the player will suit up, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files reports (via Twitter) that Nembhard is expected to play vs. the Nuggets.

It’s certainly positive news for Indiana, which has been decimated by injuries this fall — seven other Pacers are out tonight, and several of them are dealing with long-term injuries.

Nembhard, 25, was the 31st overall pick in the 2022 draft. The Canadian combo guard, who is now in his fourth season, has been a solid two-way contributor for the Pacers and was expected to take on a larger role this season with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for all of 2025/26 due to a torn Achilles tendon.

Veteran point guard Monte Morris, who was just signed by Indiana on Friday, will also be active against his former team — the 30-year-old spent five years the Nuggets, who selected him 51st overall back in 2017.

Morris believes he’s a strong fit for Indiana’s fast-paced read-and-react offense (Twitter video link via the team).

“I think it’ll be good,” Morris said. “This is maybe the first team I’ve been on in the league with pace that I’m used to.”