Injuries were a major storyline for the Pacers well before the 2025-26 season started. The team knew they would be without all-star PG Tyrese Haliburton. He tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Early in the year, the Pacers have lost several key players due to extended injuries. That includes Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin. Nesmith has not played sicne November 13 for Indiana due to a knee injury. The initial reports said he would miss four weeks. However, head coach Rick Carlisle gave an update over the weekend. He said, “It’s going to be a while” before Aaron Nesmith returns.
The Pacers have been without Aaron Nesmith for nearly a month
INJURY UPDATE:
Aaron Nesmith is still out for “a while”
Quenton Jackson and Kam Jones are trending the right way pic.twitter.com/YXDmE8lOh3
— SleeperPacers (@SleeperPacers) December 7, 2025
In October 2025, the Pacers signed Aaron Nesmith to a two-year, $40 million contract extension. He is signed with the team through the 2028-29 season. The 2025-26 season is Aaron Nesmith’s sixth year in the NBA and fourth with the Pacers. Nesmith was originally a first-round pick by the Celtics in 2020. Boston traded Nesmith to the Pacers in a larger three-team deal during the 2022 offseason. Since then, the trade has favored the Pacers.
Aaron Nesmith has played in 11 of the team’s 23 games this season. The 26-year-old has missed 11 consecutive games due to a knee injury. Reports said that Nesmith would miss four weeks for Indiana. However, head coach Rick Carlisle gave an update over the weekend. He shared that Nesmith has no timetable for return. Carlisle noted, “It’s going to be a while” before Nesmith returns to the lineup.
Rick Carlisle with the latest on Kam Jones and Aaron Nesmith injuries: pic.twitter.com/7hYkGEVsM5
— Tony East (@TonyREast) December 7, 2025
Thirteen players have made at least one start for the Pacers in 2025-26. The team is dealing with several injuries, not just to Aaron Nesmith. Obi Toppin is out for at least three months. He needed foot surgery in late October 2025. That’s a key rotational player the Pacers have been without.
Head coach Rick Carlisle is not convinced that Aaron Nesmith can return before the New Year. Indiana has 11 more games until the calendar flips to 2026. Can Aaron Nesmith recover and be ready by then? Otherwise, he’ll have missed 1/3 of the team’s games in 2025-26. The Pacers are 5-18 this season, the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Indiana has no timetable for when Aaron Nesmith will make his return to the lineup.
