Pacers guard Ben Sheppard has a torn left meniscus and could miss a few weeks

Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee, the team confirmed on its injury report Friday.

Coach Rick Carlisle said before Friday’s home opener against Dallas that Sheppard will be sidelined “a little bit,” tentatively “a few weeks,” with no definitive timetable yet, Tony East reports. Sheppard suffered the injury in Wednesday’s win over New Orleans. He had been listed as questionable with left knee soreness on Friday’s initial injury report.

The 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Sheppard has been a rotation player through his first three seasons, reaching the Eastern Conference finals as a rookie in 2024 and the NBA Finals in 2025. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21.4 minutes over 65 games last season. Extension-eligible through October 19, he did not reach a new deal with Indiana and will be a restricted free agent next summer if the Pacers tender a qualifying offer.

Aaron Nesmith returned Friday after missing the season opener with a hamstring injury, though Jarace Walker kept the starting spot as Nesmith eased back into action.