Pacers Provide Massive Injury Update on Key Guard

Ricardo Klein | Dec 17, 2024

Mar 5, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and center Myles Turner (33) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celibate during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard could be back on the court sooner rather than later.

Sheppard participated in live action during Tuesday's practice and is closer to returning after missing the last 14 games.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle didn't give an exact date on a return, but he sounded hopeful.

"He's making progress," Carlisle said. "(He'll be back) sometime in the not-too-distant future, we hope. He went through some things. He's been doing some contact work. He's getting closer and he's been able to do things without any setbacks to this point. We won't know about today until tomorrow."

Sheppard has been out since No. 17 due to an oblique injury. The second-year guard was huge for the Pacers last year and that continued to be the case this season before the injury.

In 13 games this season, Sheppard averaged 5.8 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.4 steals, and is shooting 42 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. Sheppard has started in five games this season.

The Pacers have severely missed Sheppard, as he is the most reliable high-energy player and one of their top wind defenders.

Sheppard isn't the only key guard who has missed significant time this season. The Pacers have also been without Aaron Nesmith, who has a left ankle sprain.

Nesmith has been out since Nov. 1 and has not returned to the court yet. While that is the case, Nemsith was seen shooting and doing some dribbling work last week after practice with the door open for media and appeared to be doing well.

The Pacers remain one of the more inconsistent teams in the league. They have a 12-15 record, which is good for the eighth seed in the lowly Eastern Conference. The Pacers have been one of the more injured teams in the league this season.

They have had bad luck on that part, but with plenty of games left in the season, the hope is they can turn things around and get back to the team we witnessed last season.

That all starts with the return of Sheppard, who will be a massive help, especially on the defensive end.

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