Aaron Nesmith Returns to Pacers Lineup Without a League Interrogation

Aaron Nesmith is officially back in the lineup for the Indiana Pacers this Friday after nursing a hamstring injury, and this time, the league office did not even have to ask if he was medicated.

Head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed the starting small forward is good to go against the Dallas Mavericks. Nesmith missed Wednesday's 123-120 season-opening win over the New Orleans Pelicans due to a hamstring strain he picked up during the preseason.

"Carlisle: Aaron Nesmith (hamstring) will play Friday."

Getting their primary perimeter defender back is a massive swing for Indiana's rotation. Anyone looking at the betting markets for Pacers defensive props or Mavericks wing scoring lines needs to factor in Nesmith's return, as his presence completely changes the math for opposing offenses.

Nesmith's career injury log reads like a medical textbook index, featuring everything from ankles and backs to necks and hands. But when he is actually healthy, he is the exact kind of high-energy glue guy that keeps a fast-paced team from completely falling apart on the defensive end of the floor.

It is also a lot easier for the Pacers to manage his health now that they are actually trying to win basketball games. Just a couple of years ago, Carlisle publicly torched the NBA for allegedly asking if Indiana considered "medicating" an injured Nesmith so he could play while the team was 30 games under .500.

Now that the Pacers are operating as a legitimate Eastern Conference threat, they can afford to treat hamstring strains like actual injuries instead of league-mandated interrogations. Expect Nesmith to slot right back into his usual defensive assignments against Dallas, assuming his hamstring holds up to the track meet.