Ben Sheppard joins growing list of Pacers sidelined by injury
The Pacers are down another guard, now without their top three perimeter defenders for a week with four games in six days.
As the Indiana Pacers cross over the north border to Canada to continue a tough stretch with four games per week for the next three weeks, they will be without another key player on the court.
Guard Ben Sheppard will miss his first game of season on Monday in Toronto due to a left oblique strain.
In addition, center Myles Turner has been added to the injury report — now questionable ruled out with right calf soreness following a season-high 34-point performance. (Turner played 22:20 of 24 second-half minutes, the exact same time as Bam Adebayo.)
Sheppard has started in the last five games — since Andrew Nembhard (left knee inflammation) was ruled out for at least a few weeks and likely for the rest of the month. He contributed three points (1-of-5 shooting) and three rebounds in Sunday’s 119-110 win over the Miami Heat.
However, he did not look completely comfortable on the court. His movements weren’t fluid and he looked a bit stiff.
With 4:57 left in the third quarter, T.J. McConnell replaced him in the lineup after Sheppard fouled Heat guard Tyler Herro on made 3-pointer.
Then a few minutes later, with one minute left in the third, the team officially ruled Sheppard out for the rest of the game.
An oblique injury would likely keep him out for at least a few weeks. According to friend of Fieldhouse Files, Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, the average time missed for this injury is 11.6 days (about 4.2 games).
The injury is to the abdominal muscles that are part of your core and impact every movement. It helps to explain Sheppard’s upright movements on Sunday. He was not, however, seen grimacing in pain or receiving any additional treatment on the bench. He just didn’t look comfortable.
A recent data point is Richmond, Ind. native Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies. He suffered the injury on Oct. 30 and returned just over two weeks later, on Nov. 15, against the Golden State Warriors.
The Pacers (6-7) are already without Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith (left ankle), Isaiah Jackson (Achilles), and James Wiseman (Achilles).
It should result in more playing time for T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, and two-way guard Quenton Jackson.
This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Pacers, who are playing four games in six days for the next three weeks. On a positive side, the level of opponent is decreasing. Tip-off on Monday will be after 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Pacers have won their last three games at Scotiabank Arena.