NBA Finals 2025: Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith says he needed extended break to heal sprained ankle

Aaron Nesmith battled a sprained ankle in the last three games of the Eastern Conference Final, but he is ready to go for the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thanks to a five days off between series, Nesmith says his ankle has improved.

In Game 3 of the conference finals, Nesmith suffered the ankle injury. Although he wasn’t quite as effective as usual, Nesmith still managed to score 16 points in Game 4 and 10 points in Game 6, both wins for the Pacers.

Indiana closed the series out with that Game 6 victory, and Nesmith was grateful to have some time off his feet.

“I needed ’em,” Nesmith told reporters on Wednesday. “I was looking forward to these days off. I took ’em, and I’ll be ready.”

Nesmith said the biggest challenge was getting ready for Game 4 of the conference finals. The Pacers’ sharpshooter underwent every treatment under the Sun just to be available for his team.

“It took a lot,” Nesmith said. “It was pretty much rehab every minute of that day. It was cold tub, game-ready, hyperbaric chambers, it was red light therapy. It was manual wave, it was shock wave. Anything you could name we kinda threw it at the ankle, but there was no chance I was missing that game.”

Indiana will need Nesmith at something close to full strength in order to take down the Thunder in the Finals. Nesmith has made the biggest impact from long distance, connecting on 50% of his 3-point attempts this postseason.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, Nesmith went thermonuclear down the stretch and finished with 30 points as he led the Pacers to a miraculous comeback that jumpstarted them in the series.