In a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 1st, Aaron Nesmith suffered an ankle injury in the midst of a loss for the Indiana Pacers. At the time, many speculated Nesmith would return at some point in December at the latest. However, after the most recent reports, this timetable for his return now seems like a pipedream.
Aaron Nesmith is still 'weeks away' from return to the court
According to head coach Rick Carlisle, via Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star, Nesmith is still "weeks away" from returning from his ankle injury. Furthermore, he revealed that Ben Sheppard, who has been out of action since mid-November is closer to a return, but he did not provide a concrete return date.
Carlisle said Aaron Nesmith is still “weeks away.” Said Ben Sheppard is closer.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 10, 2024
There is no denying Nesmith's importance to this Pacers team. He is their best wing defender and is a valuable piece on offense as well. However, with his absence now expected to be even longer, it is just one more obstacle the Pacers must overcome in an already disastrous season.
Over one month into the 2024-25 NBA season, the Pacers are 10-15 and own the No. 9 seed in the lowly Eastern Conference. Despite making the conference finals last season with mostly the same roster, the Pacers are barely looking like a Play-In team well into December.
Nesmith is also just one of many Pacers players who are currently or were previously sidelined. James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson each suffered Achilles injuries that ended their season before it really began, and Andrew Nembhard just recently returned from a knee injury that kept him off the court for nearly a month.
The Pacers are not giving their fans much to be excited about this season. After last season's deep playoff run, many fans expected the team to develop and solidify themselves as potential championship contenders. This has not been the case at all.
Progress is not linear, and we have seen other teams around the league take a step back to take two steps forward. However, even with that being the case, the Pacers have rarely resembled the team that was four wins away from the NBA Finals earlier this year.
Once Nesmith and Sheppard return, the Pacers should be able to begin turning things around and remind everyone why they were named the most fun team to watch in the NBA. Until that happens, however, the Pacers are in danger of digging themselves an even deeper hole that may prove too difficult to climb out of.