Andrew Nembhard remains day-to-day, and the Pacers now know what that means in the near term: he will not play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Thunder, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com reported Friday. The guard had briefly been cleared from day-to-day earlier the same day before the fresh report attached the specific absence to his undisclosed issue.
What happened
Andrew Nembhard is day-to-day, unchanged from his previous designation, but Friday's 5:44 p.m. ET injury report brought a specific detail: he will not play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Thunder. The issue is undisclosed. Nembhard had been day-to-day since Tuesday with the same undisclosed issue and was briefly cleared from day-to-day earlier Friday before the latest report put him back on that status with the game absence attached. Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com reported the news. No further detail on the injury has been disclosed, and no expected return date has been announced.
What it means for the Pacers
Indiana is set to play the Bucks on Friday at 7 p.m. ET, and Nembhard's status leaves a hole for a player who gave the Pacers 31.3 minutes, 16.9 points and 7.7 assists a game last season. Without him on the floor, Pascal Siakam (33.2 minutes, 24.0 points), Bennedict Mathurin (31.8 minutes, 17.8 points) and Aaron Nesmith (29.7 minutes, 13.8 points) have carried the largest workloads in the rotation. Nesmith himself is also day-to-day, along with T.J. McConnell and Jarace Walker, while Johnny Furphy is out with a right knee issue. The Pacers are 0-0, with the 2026-27 season not yet underway.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Nembhard's day-to-day tag changes or carries into games beyond Tuesday's matchup with the Thunder. No expected return date has been announced. Indiana is also tracking day-to-day designations for T.J. McConnell, Jarace Walker and Aaron Nesmith, plus Johnny Furphy's right knee issue that has him out, as the team works through its preseason schedule toward the 2026-27 opener.
Is Andrew Nembhard playing vs Bucks?
He is day-to-day with an undisclosed issue. The Friday report specifically rules him out of Tuesday's preseason game against the Thunder; a separate announcement for the Bucks game has not been made.
When will Andrew Nembhard be back?
No timetable has been announced. He remains day-to-day with an undisclosed issue, and he is already ruled out of Tuesday's preseason game against the Thunder.