Bennedict Mathurin suffered a toe injury during the Indiana Pacers' loss against the Memphis Grizzlies and left the game early. The exact severity of his injury is still unknown, but Mathurin was inactive for Indiana's loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, and this could spell doom for the team.
Just three games into the season, the Pacers have dealt with a plethora of unfortunate injuries, particularly to their backcourt.
Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire season with an Achilles injury, and his "replacement," Andrew Nembhard, sustained a shoulder injury in just the first game of the season. Additionally, Indiana will be without T.J. McConnell and Kam Jones for the foreseeable future due to a hamstring and back injury, respectively, and fans are still waiting to hear on the status of rookie guard Taelon Peter, who is dealing with a groin issue.
The Pacers will eventually get all these players back, but until then, they have a serious problem they must navigate. Though it is still early, Mathurin's injury could be the death knell to Indiana's season, which may be over before it ever really started.
The Pacers need to turn things around quickly if they want to compete
Many are anticipating a down year for Indiana, and so far, those expectations are being met.
The Pacers are 0-3 to begin the new season, and it seems like nothing is going well for them in any area of the game. Their 107.8 offensive rating and 118.6 defensive rating rank as the fourth and fifth-worst in the NBA, respectively. Additionally, they are allowing a whopping 127.7 points per game, only behind the Brooklyn Nets (128.3 opp. PPG).
A lot of their shortcomings can mostly be attributed to their injuries, so there are reasons to believe that the team can get back on track. However, if they don't do it soon, then they may ultimately dig themselves too deep of a hole to come out of.
Some may say that the Pacers' best strategy would be to tank anyway. This would, in theory, allow the team to earn a high draft pick in 2026 and land a top prospect who cna elevate their chances for the long haul.
However, heading into the season, there were no indications that Indiana had any interest in tanking. In September, GM Chad Buchanan confirmed that the Pacers will aim to be as competitive as possible.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) September 26, 2025
"We're not looking at this as a year to just try and get through. I mean, we'd never wish away a season. We got so many opportunities for some players on our team that weren't there before that we're excited to see what they can do. And I think this team has shown that they come together when people kind of doubt them...I wouldn't put a limit on anything for this year," Buchanan said in September.
Losing Mathurin for any stretch is going to be tough for Indiana. The Arizona alum is expected to take on the biggest role of his career as the team's starting shooting guard. Since their roster is already depleted, a lot of eyes are going to be on Mathurin to generate offense and create his own shot. So far, he did exactly that.
In the first two games of the season, Mathurin averaged 31 points on 54.8% shooting from the field and 50% from deep. Additionally, he averaged 7 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Hopefully for Indiana, the 23-year-old will make his return sooner rather than later.
If there is one thing going for the Pacers, it is that they are in a wide-open Eastern Conference where anything can happen. A deep playoff run is unlikely, but if they can figure things out, it would not be a shock to see them in the postseason regardless. However, they need to be on their A-game to do that, and so far, they are not giving fans many reasons to believe that this will happen the rest of the way.