INDIANAPOLIS -- Before the Indiana Pacers home opener against the Dallas Mavericks, Rick Carlisle announced to the room of reporters that Ben Sheppard was going to be missing some time with a knee injury.
Sheppard played twelve minutes in the season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans and exited the game at the end of the third quarter. There was no indication of an injury during the game, but he was added to the injury report early Thursday evening.
As reporters were ready to ask questions about the game, Carlisle came to the table and made the following announcement on Sheppard's health status:
"Ben Sheppard's gonna be out for a little bit. He's got a left knee meniscus thing that happened in the New Orleans game," Carlisle said. "Uncertain of the timetable. Possibility that it may not be too long but we're not really certain at this point. But there's a chance he could be back in a couple of weeks, or a bit longer, it's uncertain at this point."
Based on what Carlisle told the media there was no real clarity on the severity of the injury. After the pregame press conference, the Pacers shared to their social media pages that Ben Sheppard was out for the game against the Mavericks with a left meniscus tear.
Because this was labeled as a "tear", it brought concern to several fans. However, it might not be as bad as it sounds.
According to Dr. Frank McCormick, there are three grades for meniscus tears. A Grade 1 meniscus tear usually require a 2-6 week recovery time, a Grade 2 tear takes 6-12 weeks and a Grade 3 tear takes 3-6 months.
If we go off of the timeline Carlisle hinted at, it would appear that Sheppard's meniscus tear is closer to a Grade 1. But again, there has been no clarity on what the exact recovery time will be.
Sheppard is in his fourth season with the Pacers and has primarily served as a bench player at the end of the rotation. Despite this, he is a smart player who comprehends Indiana’s system and has consistently earned the coaching staff’s trust, allowing him to maintain a consistent playing time.
During his time sidelined, Quenton Jackson is the most likely to receive more playing time. However, this could also result in an increase in minutes for Kelly Oubre Jr., Jarace Walker, and Aaron Nesmith.
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