Tyrese Haliburton’s return gives the Pacers their most important piece back, but it also puts a spotlight on the fit around him - and that’s where Ivica Zubac comes in.
Haliburton finally got back on the floor in a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, more than 400 days after he last played following the Achilles tear he suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals two years ago. The moment carried extra meaning at Iowa State, where the crowd greeted the star point guard with cheers as he made his way back.
But Indiana is not the same team Haliburton left behind. Myles Turner, the Pacers’ starting center throughout Haliburton’s Indiana career, is gone, having signed with the Milwaukee Bucks last offseason. Haliburton missed the entire past season, so he never saw the revolving door of middling centers that filled the void after Turner’s departure.
What he is stepping into now is the version of the Pacers built around Zubac, the former Los Angeles Clippers big man Indiana traded for during that gap year. The move brought in a talented center, but one whose fit with the rest of the roster came with real questions. Zubac helps the Pacers on the glass, giving them a clear boost on both the offensive and defensive boards, but his presence also makes life harder for Indiana’s transition game.
Their first run together offered a preview of how this can work.
The path forward is simple in theory and demanding in practice: Zubac has to lean into Indiana’s pace, and Haliburton has to return to the pick-and-roll style that once made him so effective. Zubac has done this before.
When he played with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram on the Lakers, he was willing to be the big body crashing the boards and firing outlet passes. More recently, on a Clippers team that kept slowing down as the roster aged, that part of his game faded into the background.
Indiana needs that version of him again, alongside the things he already does well, especially his work on the defensive glass.
Haliburton’s adjustment is just as important. The Pacers need him to rediscover the way he used to operate with Richaun Holmes in Sacramento. Holmes was a solid player, but the real engine of that pairing was Haliburton, who kept feeding him chances and putting him in motion as a finisher at the rim.
If Haliburton can recreate that rhythm with Zubac, Indiana’s offense has the chance to hum.
It will take sacrifice from both players, and it will take growth too. But if they get there, the Pacers have the kind of partnership that can carry them a long way - all the way to a first championship since the ABA, if everything clicks.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburtons Return Just Hit An Early Pacers Concern
Tyrese Haliburtons long-awaited return to NBA preseason action had the look of an important checkpoint for the Pacers, especially after he had been sidelined for nearly 16 months. The excitement in Indianapolis was easy to understand, with Haliburton back on the floor and the team trying to ease him into game action as it builds toward the regular season.
But the first step back came with a scare when Haliburton picked up a mild right ankle injury, enough for Rick Carlisle to rule him out of the upcoming preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. The encouraging part for Indiana is that MRI results did not show any serious issue, including anything involving the Achilles, and the team is hoping he can get back to practice Monday and move toward playing again soon. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Get An Early Test Of The Identity That Fueled Them
The preseason matchup with Atlanta offers Indiana a first look at the style that carried it, and the kind of opponent likely to challenge it early. Both teams want to play fast and create offense in transition, but the Pacers are also sorting through roster changes that could reshape how they get there, including the addition of center Ivica Zubac.
Tyrese Haliburton and Trae Young remain the obvious headliners, a pair of playmakers who can turn a loose possession into a track meet in a hurry. The Hawks also have reworked their perimeter mix, giving this game some extra defensive intrigue around how Indiana handles pressure on the outside and whether its usual pace can hold up against a group built to make life harder on the ball. [Read more 🡒]