Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith sidelined with foot injury suffered against New York
Nesmith was acquired in an offseason trade and is firmly in the rotation, playing with the second unit. Now it's unclear if he'll be unavailable for Opening Night in 10 days.
When Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle introduced the two teams for the Blue-White scrimmage portion of FanJam on Sunday, it was noted that Aaron Nesmith was on the Blue Team coached by Ronald Nored AND that he would not be playing.
It turns out that Nesmith sustained what Carlisle called “a plantar fascia issue” in Friday’s preseason loss in New York.
“He’ll miss some time,” he said. “The hope is that there’s a possibility he could be back for the opener, but we don’t know for sure. As the days go on, we’ll have a better feel for that.”
In a preseason loss to the Knicks, Nesmith played just over nine minutes, the fewest among players in the regular rotation. He did not play in the second half.
He impressed in the first preseason game last Wednesday, tallying a team-high 16 points and four rebounds off the bench in less than 14 minutes.
The plantar fascia is at the bottom of one’s foot toward the heel, can be painful and often times persist over time. So it’s important to get ahead of it and not allow for it to linger.
The severity of this injury to his left foot is not immediately known. However, Nesmith being in practice gear, including basketball shoes, on Sunday is certainly a good sign. He did not display any signs of discomfort as he walked around and was supportive to the group at his first FanJam.
The Pacers practiced across the street at their facility before walking over to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to play in front of fans.
The season opener is 10 day away, Oct. 19 against the Washington Wizards. Also on Sunday, the Wizards announced that Bradley Beal entered health & safety protocols so that’s something else to keep tabs on.
Nesmith, a lottery pick in 2020, is firmly in the rotation and playing with the second unit, along with T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin in the backcourt. He was acquired in an offseason trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics.
In Case You Missed It: Get to know Nesmith and his goals with Indiana.