The contenders from last season have stumbled out of the gate, now sitting at 0-2 after a tough Saturday loss to Memphis. The Pacers’ season hasn’t started as fans hoped, and while the world expected the Warriors to struggle first due to injuries, the Pacers are now dealing with a series of setbacks. On Saturday, the Pacers saw their eighth player sidelined during this away stretch and the second to exit with a fresh injury. Coupled with the loss, it’s a major early-season blow for the team.

During Saturday’s matchup, the Pacers faced a tough blow as Bennedict Mathurin had to leave the game early due to a foot issue. Mathurin, the team’s top scorer this season, led Indiana’s charge, pouring in 26 points and contributing four assists before exiting in the third quarter. Underdog NBA later reported, “Status alert: Bennedict Mathurin (foot) won’t return Saturday,” confirming that the young guard would miss the remainder of the contest.

Despite dealing with an injury, Mathurin showed real toughness. Even after grabbing his right leg early in the quarter, he stayed on the court, made his free throws, and scored 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting, helping keep Indiana in the game. Later, though, he had to be taken to the locker room. And his absence was soon felt as they fell to Memphis, 128-103. 

The Pacers struggled to keep up without him. Memphis poured in 70 points across the second and third quarters, building a double-digit lead that Indiana couldn’t overcome. The Pacers tried to make a statement by putting three centers on the floor, but it couldn’t stop the tide.

Indiana shot 40.4% from the field, made only 14 of 40 three-pointers, and turned the ball over 13 times. The lack of cohesion and too much isolation basketball left their offense sputtering.

Conversely, the Grizzlies got a massive lift from rookie Cedric Coward, who scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half, hitting all six of his three-pointers. Ja Morant added 19 points while Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 17. Coward, the No. 11 pick out of Washington State, has now scored double figures in all three games this season.

Despite a humiliating 146-114 loss to the Heat on Friday, Memphis showed resilience and dominated the paint and fast breaks on Saturday.

But the Pacers’ woes didn’t stop with Mathurin. Rookie guard Taelon Peter also had a short, frustrating stint on the court against the Grizzlies. According to Indiana’s official X account, Peter played just over two minutes before a sore right groin forced him out, leaving him sidelined for the rest of the game.

In that brief window, he didn’t get a chance to make much of an impact, recording only a foul and no shots.

But the real problem is much bigger!

Pacers struggle with point guard shortage

Indiana’s season has hit an early rough patch, and the biggest headache? Their point guard situation. With rookie Taelon Peter now sidelined with a groin issue, the Pacers face a severe shortage of ball-handlers just as the regular season rolls on.

In addition, there are lingering absences of stars like Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, and the team’s depth at the position is stretched to its limit. What started as a manageable injury list has snowballed into a significant challenge for coach Rick Carlisle and the Pacers’ rotation.

Despite the setbacks, Indiana is figuring out ways to keep things afloat. RayJ Dennis and Ben Sheppard, who have filled in at point guard even though it isn’t their natural role, are currently carrying the load. On top of that, versatile players like Pascal Siakam, Jarace Walker, and Bennedict Mathurin are stepping up to handle the ball more than usual. 

“It’s not much, but this could help them stay afloat until they get some of their guards back,” the team seems to be thinking, using creative lineups to compensate for the missing playmakers. And now the Mathurin situation has only made things difficult.

Even with so many absences, the Pacers showed flashes of resilience. Against Oklahoma City, their lineup featuring Siakam, Obi Toppin, Walker, Mathurin, and Sheppard outscored the Thunder during a stretch of 11 minutes, proving that even without traditional point guards, the team can generate offense.

Carlisle leaned heavily on different combinations, often deploying lineups without a natural point guard, showing that flexibility might be Indiana’s best weapon while their roster slowly recovers.

Looking ahead, the hope is that Peter and the other injured guards return soon, but for now, Indiana will rely on creativity, versatility, and short-term solutions. Bringing in an outside point guard isn’t ideal; the roster is already full, so the team must navigate this storm internally.