Aaron Nesmith DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) will return to the lineup on Thursday against Detroit, but he will have a minutes restriction. Per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has not specified what it will be. Nesmith has been out since Nov. 1, so it's no surprise Indiana wants to ease him back into action. He will probably come off the bench, which will help the team control his minutes better. Before suffering a left ankle sprain, Nesmith averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.7 minutes.

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) might be ready to return to the lineup on Thursday against Detroit, with the team listing him as questionable on the injury report. He has picked up the questionable tag after missing nearly 11 weeks due to a left ankle sprain. Nesmith was a starter for the Pacers early in the campaign over Bennedict Mathurin, so it will be interesting to see how the rotation works out with everybody healthy. Indiana has played well with its current lineup, going 12-4 since Dec. 8. Even if Mathurin gets bumped to the bench, he should still have a major role to play, with Nesmith's return having a much bigger impact on Ben Sheppard's playing time.

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) does not have a timeline for his return. Per Bobby Krivitsky of Forbes, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said on Sunday that Nesmith is making progress but is without a timetable. The 25-year-old has been out since Nov. 1 with a left ankle sprain. Indiana kicked off the campaign with Nesmith among the starters. He averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.7 minutes before getting sidelined. Bennedict Mathurin has nailed down a starting role during Nesmith's absence.