The Indiana Pacers got training camp rolling Tuesday, and the first day brought a little of everything: an injury update, some reassurance on Tyrese Haliburton’s workload, and a clearer picture of where Jarace Walker stands as he tries to lock in a steady role.
The health picture isn’t perfect yet. Rick Carlisle said Larry Nance Jr. is still working back from a mild hamstring injury he suffered more than two weeks ago. Nance is taking part in 5-on-0 work, but he has not been cleared for full 5-on-5 action.
"He's a little limited right now in practice, but he's doing five-on-0 stuff and he's making great progress, Carlisle said. "He's coming off a mild hamstring thing from over two weeks ago. But we're confident and optimistic that he'll be back into the flow here on a full-go basis, maybe in another week or two."
Carlisle also said Johnny Furphy remains the only other Pacers player who is currently limited, as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL.
Even with Nance sidelined from live action for now, the expectation is that this is a short-term issue rather than something more serious. Still, his absence matters early, especially as Indiana begins installing its system and sorting through lineup combinations.
Haliburton, though, was the day’s biggest storyline. After spending the summer getting ready for his return to NBA action, he said the work he put in before camp was intentionally tougher than what he’s facing now.
"We purposely approached the summer to where my days in the summer are much harder than practice days," Haliburton said. "So in terms of load management or whatever the percentage is with the, tracking that stuff, it's way less than my days in summer.
So there's really no concern. The questions are being asked, but nobody's that concerned.
I'm totally fine."
That won’t end the questions around his workload after he missed last season while recovering from a torn Achilles, but it does show Indiana has been building him up for camp instead of carefully easing him through it.
Walker, meanwhile, sounded like a player who knows exactly what he needs to do to stay in the mix. He enters camp with another chance to earn a dependable spot in Carlisle’s rotation, and his answer about his role was straightforward.
"Doing all the little things," Walker said of his role. "Rebounding, running, getting to my spots, taking open shots, limiting turnovers, and just playing the right way."
He also made it clear that individual stats are not driving his approach.
"To win you got to sacrifice, so whatever the team needs me to do night in and night out, whatever they need, I'm here,' Walker said. "I''m all about winning."
That kind of mindset could matter a lot as he competes for minutes in a deeper Pacers group.
No one’s going to judge the season by one practice. But Day 1 still gave Indiana a useful snapshot.
Nance has a minor hurdle to clear, Haliburton says he’s ready for the work ahead, and Walker understands the assignment if he wants a consistent role. For a Pacers team trying to reset after a difficult season, that was a pretty solid opening note.
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