As the old saying goes: when it rains, it pours. Without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton in the fold, the Indiana Pacers (6-29) have struggled immensely this season, as was expected. However, they’re now set to be without another key backcourt piece, which would put a damper on their ability to turn their season around.
Pacers Lose Bennedict Mathurin To Injury Amid Career Season
Fourth-year wing Bennedict Mathurin will be out indefinitely with a right thumb sprain, according to HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto. Though he’s currently averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game, he’s converting a career-low 42.3% of his field goal attempts. Over the past 15 games, he’s made just 40.2% of his field goals, including 37.9% of his mid-range attempts and 43.8% of his layup attempts.
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin has tried to play through his right thumb sprain for a few weeks but will now need some time to fully heal, league sources told @hoopshype. Mathurin, who was out for today’s game against the Magic, has averaged a career-high 17.8 points. pic.twitter.com/MpPsoAlwu0
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 5, 2026
At the beginning of the season, Mathurin suffered a right great toe sprain that sidelined him for 11 games. In that stretch, the Pacers went 1-10.
How Will The Pacers Handle Mathurin’s Absence?
With Mathurin out, the Pacers will certainly lean on veteran starter Aaron Nesmith more than usual. In fact, Nesmith attempted 16 field goals on Sunday when Indy faced the Orlando Magic. For reference, he took just six shots in the previous game.
Rookie Kam Jones, second-year pro Johnny Furphy and third-year wing Ben Sheppard could also see an uptick in minutes or attempts.
This season, Nesmith is averaging a career-high 14.8 points per game. Yet, he’s shooting an uninspiring 38.6% from the field. Furphy, Jones, and Sheppard are averaging 13.7 points per game combined. With that being said, Indiana isn’t necessarily lean on wing depth. However, the players behind Mathurin lack experience, his scoring instincts, or both. Frankly, this is the issue not only with Mathurin being out of the lineup right now but the idea of moving on from him in the offseason.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Indy’s projected to land the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. With that pick, the Pacers wouldn’t just be able to replace Mathurin if negotiations didn’t go to their liking during his free agency. They’d also have the opportunity to draft one of the highly-touted prospects thought to have All-Star potential.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
