INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said his most important goal before the opener against the Thunder on Oct. 23 is to build chemistry. That’s become more difficult with each preseason game as the Pacers have been beset by injuries, especially to their bench.
The Pacers were already a man down coming into the season with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton out for the year with a torn Achilles tendon. Since the preseason started they’ve experienced injuries to veteran backup point guard T.J. McConnell (hamstring strain), promising second-year wing Johnny Furphy (ankle sprain) and productive two-way contract guard Quenton Jackson (sore hamstring). Also, rookie guard Kam Jones hasn’t practiced yet due to a back issue. McConnell is out for about a month, which would mean missing about nine games, Carlisle said. Furphy, Jackson and Jones could all be out for the start of the season.
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With all that tumult, Carlisle says the first step to trying to build chemistry is to establish foundational standards.
“The starting point has gotta be hard physical play,” Carlisle said.
Fortunately for Carlisle, the Pacers return a player this week who has always adhered to that standard since he was drafted.
Third-year guard Ben Sheppard has missed the first three preseason games and most of the practices in camp thanks to a strained calf suffered in September during the Pacers’ unofficial mini-camp at Pascal Siakam’s home gym in Orlando, Fla. Carlisle said Sheppard has finally healed well enough to start ramping up his practice activity this week, and he’s hopeful Sheppard will be able to take part in Friday’s preseason finale against the Spurs in San Antonio.
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“He practiced today and I don’t think he missed anything today,” Carlisle said after practice on Wednesday. “He’s been working really hard and doing a lot of things on a live basis, not necessarily a contact basis but a live basis to get ready. He’s a guy that from a system standpoint who really helps us with his running and speed. And he’s a very good rebounder too.”
Sheppard said his body has responded well to treatment and that he feels confident he’ll be able to play on Friday.
“It’s felt really good,” Sheppard said. “Cautious right now because of all the Achilles stuff and how it’s calf-related and all that type of stuff. Taking care of it, doing the proper rehab and all that kind of stuff, but I feel great.”
Now Sheppard gets to show off what he tried to add to his game in the offseason as he prepares for a key role in the second unit.
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Sheppard has been a Carlisle-favorite throughout his first two full seasons because he has so reliably stuck to the game plan and not tried to do much outside of his comfort zone. Carlisle has been able to trust that on every offensive possession Sheppard will sprint to the corners. He will run hard without the ball, take and make wide-open shots and pass when he isn’t open. And he’ll bring energy to the defensive end and defend his man the length of the floor.
But with Haliburton out for the year, the Pacers need all of their perimeter players to be a little more aggressive in making plays off the dribble. Last season, 199 of Sheppard’s 287 field goal attempts (69.3%) were 3-pointers. Of those 199 3s, 179 were catch-and-shoot attempts. Of the 287 total field goals, 215 (74.9%) came off zero dribbles and another 31 came off just one dribble.
That fits in perfectly with the Pacers’ offensive system of randomized movement and constant passing, but Sheppard might be in position to need to create his own shot or attack closeouts more often and he’s worked on doing that. He averaged 19.5 minutes per game last season, but averaged just 5.3 points on 4.6 field goal attempts per game.
“I work on everything,” Sheppard said. “Conditioning, shooting, off-the-dribble type stuff, coming off screens, that type of stuff, trying to well-round my game so whenever my name is called, whenever I got the opportunity I can succeed in it. … Whenever I have the opportunity to take someone off the dribble or take advantage of my shot, I feel like that can help the team because I know my game and I know how to play within myself. Just attacking opportunities and advantages and stuff like that and playing my game.”
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Carlisle and Sheppard’s teammates have been telling him to be at least a little bit more willing to take shots the last couple of seasons. He enters this season with a sense that it’s necessary. The Pacers will need a little more scoring and a little more shot creation in the second unit with Bennedict Mathurin moving up to the starting lineup and McConnell out for the start of the season. They’ll still likely start with forward Obi Toppin — who finished seventh in the NBA in total points off the bench last year — in the second unit but they’ll need someone else to put the ball in the bucket.
“It’s just aggressiveness and confidence,” Sheppard said. “It feels like every year I feel a little more comfortable with that.”
And he feels more confident with his game overall which is why even when the Pacers are fully healthy he’ll be a favorite to land one of the two wing spots on the second unit. He’ll be competing with Furphy and Jarace Walker, but Sheppard has been a more constant part of the rotation than either. He appeared in 21 playoff games and averaged 14 minutes per game in the Pacers’ 2025 NBA Finals run. He averaged just 2.4 field goal attempts per game and 3.2 points per game but shot 47.1% from the floor and 39.5% from 3-point range.
“All the years I’ve played have kind of blended together,” Sheppard said. “I’m just out here taking every day one at a time and doing whatever I can to keep growing.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ben Sheppard injury update: Pacers guard will play Friday