Pacers Injury Report: Indiana to be Without Four Key Players, One Questionable Against Magic

Jeremy Hanna | 17 Hours Ago

Oct 30, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) attempts a shot against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) and forward Obi Toppin (1) during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-Imagn Images / Grace Smith/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

Currently sitting at 5-5, the Indiana Pacers are heading toward an exciting matchup against the Orlando Magic, who sit just ahead of them with a 6-6 record.

While this is certainly going to be an exciting match up, the Pacers will for sure be without four key players while another remains questionable.

The most recent players officially named out are small forward Aaron Nesmith and point guard Andrew Nembhard.

According to head coach Rick Carlisle, Nembhard will be out for about two weeks due to patellofemoral inflammation in the left knee, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. He is set to be out for about two weeks.

Meanwhile, Carlisle says that Nesmith is set to be gone until at least December with a left ankle sprain.

These are just the newest additions to the Pacers' injury list. They join small forward Isaiah Jackson, who tore his Achilles during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and center James Wiseman, who underwent surgery in October to repair a torn Achilles.

Both Nesmith and Nembhard have been important contributors to the Pacers, especially in their surprising playoff run last season.

In the postseason, Nesmith averaged 10.5 points, 4.9 total rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.6 steals across 17 games. Nembhard was arguably more integral, averaging 14.9 points, 5.5 assists, 3.3 total rebounds, and 0.4 steals per game.

While this is already a bad position for Indiana to be in, they could also be missing an additional player depending on the status of his ankle: power forward Obi Toppin.

An important player off the bench, Toppin has averaged nine points, 3.1 total rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals per game this season. According to Carlisle, Toppin is day-to-day.

Currently, the Pacers are tied with Eastern Conference rivals the New York Knicks for fourth place, narrowly behind the Magic for third.

That being said, all three teams are still in a precarious position since they don't have a winning record, with multiple teams only one game behind them.

At this point, it seems the top two spots are easily claimed by the Boston Celtics, last year's NBA Champions, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the only undefeated team left in the NBA.

If the Pacers want to make their mark in the East, they're going to have to start setting themselves apart from the pack now. And with their roster seemingly dwindling due to injury, that's going to be a lot harder.

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