The Pacers’ opening night rotation question didn’t get solved so much as split in half.
All summer, Indiana’s search for the ninth man in a healthy rotation kept circling back to Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard. Other names floated into the discussion, including two-way contract Jalen Slawson and veteran center Jay Huff, but the real battle stayed between the two 2023 first-round picks. With Aaron Nesmith sidelined by a hamstring strain, Kelly Oubre Jr. moved into the starting lineup against the New Orleans Pelicans, and Walker and Sheppard were the forwards expected to help cover the gap.
Instead, both of them came up empty.
Walker finished with three points on 1-of-6 shooting and missed all of his threes. The playmaking surge that was supposed to make him useful in a bench group without T.J.
McConnell and Kelly Oubre was nowhere to be found. After that preseason game with 10 assists and zero turnovers, there was real hope he had finally found something close to the player Indiana drafted.
Opening night was a reminder of why preseason can be such a trap. Walker ended the game with four turnovers and just two assists.
There was at least one small positive for him: the rebounding. Walker grabbed six boards, third-most on the team, and that part of his game is moving in the right direction.
Sheppard’s night was even harder to measure on the stat sheet. He also scored three points, but beyond his usual solid defensive work, he didn’t make much of an imprint at all. That’s been the story with him for a while now - not much flash, not many numbers, and not a lot to convince anyone that the bigger breakout is coming soon.
Maybe it’s not fair to demand much from players who are usually asked to step in only in brief, uneven chances. But at this point, Sheppard is who he is.
In Other News...
Pacers Suddenly Have A Real TJ McConnell Decision To Make
With TJ McConnell still rehabbing a hamstring injury, the Pacers got a useful look at Quenton Jackson in the backup point guard role, and Rick Carlisle clearly liked what he saw. Jackson, who came up on a two-way deal and already has G League experience, handled the job well in the recent game and drew praise from his coach for stepping into a spot Indiana has had trouble filling without McConnell.
The bigger issue now is what happens when McConnell gets back. Indiana does not have many clean alternatives behind Tyrese Haliburton, and Carlisles choice with Jackson only sharpened the question of how the rotation should look once the roster is whole again. Braden Smith and Kobe Brown are still not ready to fully take on that responsibility, which leaves the Pacers weighing whether Jackson has done enough to stay in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburton's Return Comes With A Real Test For Indiana
Tyrese Haliburtons return to Indianapolis gives the Pacers home opener a very different kind of edge, with the crowd ready to welcome back the guard who meant so much to the franchise during the 2025 playoffs. Indiana will also be opening against a Dallas team that brings plenty of intrigue of its own, including Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, so this will be more than a feel-good night for the building.
The Pacers are still working through point guard depth concerns with T.J. McConnell sidelined, which puts even more weight on how they manage the backcourt minutes and the defensive matchups. Against Dallas, those assignments matter from the jump, and Indianas ability to handle Irving while also keeping tabs on Flagg will go a long way toward determining whether the opener feels like a celebration or a stress test. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburton Just Changed Everything For The Pacers Again
Tyrese Haliburtons return gave Indiana exactly the kind of jolt it has been waiting for. In his first regular-season game since tearing his Achilles tendon, he looked right at home again, finishing with 23 points and 12 assists in 34 minutes as the Pacers edged the New Orleans Pelicans 123-120. For a team that has spent months waiting to see what its offense would look like with Haliburton back in the mix, the answer arrived quickly.
Afterward, Haliburton was visibly emotional in a postgame interview, talking about the support from Pacers fans and the presence of his family, who were in the building for the moment. It was a reminder of how much this return meant beyond the box score, especially for a player who signed a five-year extension in 2023 and had established himself as one of the leagues brightest young guards before the injury interrupted his 2024-25 season. The only real question now is how quickly Indiana can build on this and what comes next as Haliburton settles back into the flow. [Read more 🡒]