The Indiana Pacers will be without Ben Sheppard after the 2023 first-round pick tore the meniscus in his left knee, and the injury could keep him sidelined for a few months - or even for the rest of the season.
That timing makes the setback feel especially harsh for Sheppard, whose season already sat at a crossroads. He had a path to becoming a surprise rotation piece, but he also had the opposite outcome hanging over him: fading into the background and being forgotten. Now, with his knee injury in the picture, the possibility of this being his final stretch in Indiana feels real.
Sheppard is also set to enter restricted free agency this summer, and that adds another layer to an already shaky situation. He may be headed toward a return to a rotation that no longer has room for him on a team that, as the picture currently stands, does not seem to value him much.
His injury should also open the door for more Jalen Slawson, who had already been pushing for more minutes even while Sheppard was healthy.
The bigger issue for Sheppard is that this was probably the year he needed to prove he could be more than a fill-in. He has shown some growth with the Pacers, but he has never quite established himself as a true difference-maker. That’s the danger of where he landed and when he landed there.
It was always an awkward fit in some ways. Sheppard entered the league in the same year as Jarace Walker, and the wing minutes in Indiana started disappearing fast once Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard carved out larger roles and the trade for Pascal Siakam followed. What had looked like a situation with room for development turned into a numbers game almost immediately.
The reality was simple: the eighth pick was always going to get more attention than the 26th pick.
That doesn’t mean Sheppard was ignored. The Pacers gave him chances, drafting him as a bench three-and-D wing.
But when his shooting didn’t develop the way the team had hoped, his margin for error shrank. Indiana then tried to turn him into more of a defensive specialist, someone who could come off the bench in the playoffs and guard one specific player for five to 10 minutes at a time.
He handled that role with effort, but even that may have stretched what he could realistically be. Sheppard is useful when he’s part of a larger defensive structure.
In the right setup, with other capable defenders around him, he can help a good team. But once Indiana asked him to carry more on both sides of the floor, the limits showed.
There may still be a team out there that can get more out of him. In fact, it’s likely. But if that happens, Pacers fans may look back and realize that whatever leap he makes somewhere else was never going to happen in Indiana.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Had An Immediate Reaction To Jalen Williams Scare
Jalen Williams frightening exit against the Clippers drew an immediate wave of concern across the league, and Tyrese Haliburton was among the players who reacted right away. The Thunder forward was taken off the court on a stretcher after a serious injury, with Oklahoma City still waiting on a diagnosis and head coach Mark Daigneault not offering any specifics after the game.
For Pacers fans, Haliburtons response stood out because he knows the emotional side of seeing a fellow player go through a similar situation. He publicly expressed support for Williams, a reminder of how quickly a night can turn in the NBA and how tightly connected players can be when injuries bring everything else into the background. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Finally Looked Like Themselves Even As One Concern Lingered
After a sluggish opening, the Pacers settled in and spent the final 36 minutes looking far more like the group that has defined them this season. Indiana rolled past Brooklyn over that stretch, with the offense humming through crisp ball movement and a lineup that kept finding answers even after the game took an early turn with a starting big man leaving because of an ankle sprain.
The point guard drove the attack with 24 points and 10 assists, while a forward added 14 efficient points as the Pacers piled up 34 assists on 49 made baskets. The rotation adjusted smoothly after the injury, and the larger question now is how Indiana manages the concern around that big man after a night when everything else finally clicked into place. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Face A Familiar Problem In Brooklyn Tonight
The Pacers head into Brooklyn looking to steady themselves after a disappointing home opener, and the matchup offers a quick chance to reset against a Nets team still trying to find its footing under Jordi Fernandez. Brooklyn comes in off a narrow loss to the Cavaliers, but there is plenty of talent on a young roster that is still developing and learning how to close out games.
Indiana also knows this is not a comfortable spot on the schedule, especially with Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle in the mix after both have given the Pacers problems before. For Indiana, the bigger concern may be starting faster and getting more from the bench, two areas that can decide whether this turns into a clean bounce-back or another night of chasing the game. [Read more 🡒]