After a surprise run to the NBA Finals last season, 2025-26 has been extremely challenging for the Pacers. Through their first 36 games, Indiana is 6-30. That is the worst record in the NBA.
Injuries have defined the Pacers’ season early on. Key players have missed significant time. This includes SG Bennedict Mathurin, who has missed 12 games in 2025-26. Speaking to the media on Sunday, head coach Rick Carlisle shared injury news for Benndict Mathurin. He said the 23-year-old is “out for a while” due to thumb and toe injuries.
Who will replace the production of Benndict Mathurin for Indiana?
In 2025-26, Benndecit Mathurin was promoted to a starting role for the Pacers. That’s because starting PG Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Previously, Mathurin played a key role off the bench for Indiana. With Haliburton out, Mathurin has started all 24 games he’s appeared in. Benndecit Mathurin has missed 12 of the team’s 36 games in the 2025-26 season. That includes 11 consecutive games early in the year.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Pacers’ head coach Rick Carlisle shared injury news for Mathurin. He mentioned how the team has recently had several players return from injury. It’s allowed the Pacers to have more depth. Indiana has chosen to shut down Benedict Mathurin for the time being. Rick Carlisle said he is “out for a while.” Mathurin has been playing through a sprained right thumb and has a slight case of turf toe
For those reasons, the Pacers have chosen to keep Bennedict Mathurin out of the lineup. Without Mathurin, head coach Rick Carlisle will dig deeper into his bench. Over the past few seasons, that has been a strength of Indiana. Players like T.J McConnell and Ben Sheppard will see increased minutes moving forward. Bennedict Mathurin is averaging 32.2 minutes per game this season. Against the Magic on Sunday, Johnny Furphy started in place of Mathurin.
However, he was on the court for just 13 minutes. Ben Sheppard came off the bench and played a team-high 24 minutes for non-starters. He finished the game with eight points, three rebounds, and two assists. Additionally, T.J. McConnell played 21 minutes off the bench for the Pacers. McConnell had 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Indiana did not give a timeline for how long Bennedict Mathurin will be out. Ben Sheppard and T.J. McConnell will see increased roles with Benedict Mathurin out.
