Aaron Nesmith injury not as bad as originally thought, limited in Pacers practice after All-Star break
INDIANAPOLIS — Last Wednesday, Indiana Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith went down with an injury against the Toronto Raptors. In the third quarter of a Pacers win, Nesmith went up for a dunk between Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley, and while trying to land, Nesmith's leg twisted awkwardly.
He exited the game and never came back. The Pacers said that the 25-year old was questionable to return due to a sore right shin.
Nesmith has dealt with pain in that area throughout the season and even missed a few games due to bilateral shin soreness in January. He's been wearing bandages on that area of his leg recently, including in Toronto.
Because that game was the final outing before the All-Star break for the Pacers, little had been revealed about the nature of the injury. On Tuesday night, Indiana returned to practice. Head coach Rick Carlisle shared a few updates on Nesmith's status.
"No update really other than not as bad as originally feared. He was limited today," Carlisle said. It was the first on-court work for the team in five days. "We'll see how he's doing. He's made significant progress each day so we'll see where he is in a couple days."
Nesmith has missed five games in total this season. He's become an important piece for the blue and gold and has settled in nicely as the starting three man next to Pascal Siakam.
"He's walking around and he's taking some shots and stuff, so he's doing well," Carlisle explained. More will be known about Nesmith's status on Wednesday when he receives an official injury designation before the Pacers regular season schedule resumes.
After Nesmith went down, Doug McDermott and Ben Sheppard saw an uptick in minutes. Bennedict Mathurin was out in Toronto, but he would likely have played more once Nesmith exited the game as well. That group will all become more important if Nesmith misses time.
In 51 outings this campaign, Nesmith is averaging 12.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
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