INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith could still be out for “a while” but guards Quenton Jackson and Kam Jones are trending toward returns, coach Rick Carlisle said after practice on Sunday.The Pacers practiced at their Ascension St. Vincent Center facility on Sunday for the first time since October as the team had a rare two-day break between games with a longer break for the NBA Cup coming Tuesday-Thursday. Carlisle said Jackson and Jones both took part in a limited fashion. However, Nesmith isn’t involved yet. Nesmith suffered a left knee medial collateral ligament sprain in the Pacers’ game against the Suns in Phoenix on Nov. 13. Carlisle said at the time that he expected Nesmith to be out at least a month, but the one-month mark is just six days away and Carlisle didn’t suggest that there’s any chance he’ll be available for the Pacers’ games next weekend against Philadelphia and Washington. “There’s no timetable,” Carlisle said. “… It’s gonna be a while. Hopefully not too long. It would be great if he could be back playing some time this month. He’s making great progress with no setbacks. Time will tell, but I don’t have any set timetable for you.” Nesmith averaged 15.5 points per game in 11 games before the injury, which would be a career high over a full season. With the Pacers facing so many other injuries, he had to increase his shot volume substantially, averaging 13.4 field goal attempts per game after having never finished with more than 8.8 per game over a full season. His efficiency numbers were down as he made 36.7% of his field goal attempts and 37.3% of his 3-pointers. Last season, Nesmith averaged 12.0 points per game on 8.4 field goal attempts per game but made 50.7% of his field goals and 43.1% of his 3-pointers. Jackson has been out with a right hamstring strain since Nov. 3, but the two-way contract guard averaged 11.8 points per game in five games this season with 25 points in a Nov. 1 win over the Warriors. Carlisle said Friday that it’s unlikely Jackson will be available for Monday’s home game against the Kings, but said it’s possible he could be available to play the 76ers on Friday in Philadelphia or the Wizards on Sunday at home. Carlisle said he did “a little bit,” in practice, but afterward he took part in a scrimmage that included player development personnel and the “stay-ready group” of teammates who have seen light-minute loads in recent games, including forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, center Tony Bradley and fellow two-way guard Taelon Peter. Carlisle said Jones, a rookie second-round pick out of Marquette, has also made important progress and was involved in the parts of practice that were not live contact. Jones hasn’t played a game yet and missed all of training camp with a stress reaction in his lower back. Carlisle said recently that Jones’ back is healed, he just has to ramp up his conditioning to make up for lost time. Carlisle said his first games will most likely be with the Noblesville Boom, the Pacers’ G League affiliate. “He did non-contact stuff today,” Carlisle said. “I don’t think he’s scrimmaging live yet, even on the side, but he’s getting there. I would think sooner than later he’ll be back out there banging and that kind of stuff, but he’s making progress. He was in a lot of the non-contact stuff — offense and defense — today. I know he’s very anxious and very excited to be back on the floor and feeling 100 percent finally.” The Pacers have been crushed by injuries all season and are 5-18 after reaching the NBA Finals in 2024-25 for the first time in 25 years. All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is out for the season with a right Achilles tendon tear suffered in Game 7 of the Finals. Forward Obi Toppin is out until at least February. Point guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell and wings Bennedict Mathurin and Johnny Furphy have returned from injuries that cost them a substantial number of games, but guard Ben Sheppard is newly on the shelf with a calf strain. Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers injury updates: Aaron Nesmith still out ‘a while’