Pacers Guard Exits Finals Rematch vs Thunder with New Injury

Nov 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) celebrates with center Myles Turner (33) after scoring during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

An Indiana Pacers guard had to depart a preseason clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder early.

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Per Indiana's official X account, shooting guard Quenton Jackson was compelled to check out of the club's ongoing NBA Finals rematch on Saturday night and has been ruled out for the rest of the encounter.

Injury Update: Quenton Jackson (sore right hamstring) will not return to tonight's game against the Thunder.

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 12, 2025

Jackson was ruled out for good in the second half of the bout, with Indiana leading the reigning champs by four points, 62-58.

Big men Obi Toppin and Isaiah Jackson, plus starting shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin, all returned from the Pacers locker room wearing their straight clothes by the start of the second half, although they were ruled out to rest in a meaningless exhibition bout, not as a result of any injury distress.

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Jackson wraps up his run with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field (2-of-4 from distance), two rebounds and two assists in 11:04 of action.

While on a two-way contract with Indiana last season, Jackson appeared in just 28 regular season bouts for the Finals-bound team. Because he remained a two-way player heading into the postseason, the 6-foot-5 Texas A&M product wasn't allowed to suit up at all.

Jackson's 2025-26 Season Outlook

The 27-year-old remains inked to a two-way deal as of this writing. Health issues would understandably preclude a promotion into Indiana's standard roster or regular rotation, but if he can recover and prove himself during the year, perhaps head coach Rick Carlisle will use him to supplement the lost backcourt minutes of the Pacers' sidelined All-NBA starting point guard, Tyrese Haliburton.

With former starting shooting guard Andrew Nembhard shifted into Haliburton's old role (and Bennedict Mathurin replacing Nembhard at the two spot), T.J. McConnell remained Indiana's primary backup at the point heading into the year. According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, McConnell will be on the shelf for at least the next month (meaning he'll miss, at minimum two weeks of regular season action) with a hamstring strain.

Sans Haliburton or another 2025 NBA Finals-era starter, center Myles Turner, Indiana doesn't seem likely to repeat its success over the past two seasons, which yielded two straight Eastern Conference Finals run and the aforementioned Finals stint.

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