ESPN is already bracing for a cautious start to Tyrese Haliburton’s next chapter in Indiana.
Haliburton is set to return next season after missing the previous year with the Achilles tendon tear he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even with that comeback on the horizon, ESPN’s Jamal Collier wrote that the Pacers “may take it slow” with their star early on.
"Indiana may take it slow with their superstar to start the season with the hope that come playoff time, the Pacers will be in position to shock the league again," Jamal Collier wrote.
The idea makes sense given how important Haliburton is to everything Indiana does. In the 2024-25 season, he delivered one of the best all-around campaigns of his career, putting up 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while earning All-NBA Third Team honors.
Across his Pacers career, Haliburton has averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. He’s under contract on the five-year, $244 million extension he signed with Indiana in July 2023, with $48,924,624 due next season, followed by $52,298,736 in 2027-28 and $55,672,848 in 2028-29.
The Pacers are also expected to roll out a starting group of Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac next season. On paper, that’s a lineup with plenty of punch.
Haliburton’s production has been steady in both the regular season and the postseason. He owns career averages of 17.5 points and 8.8 assists per game in the regular season, along with 17.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs.
His injury changed the entire feel of Indiana’s Finals run, and Haliburton made clear just how hard that moment still hits. On the " Numbers On The Board" podcast, he said, "I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it," and later described the sequence in painful detail.
"When I strained my calf, I knew it was a possibility. We knew that internally.
Kendrick Perkins was going on TV talking about don't play. Get the f*** out of here.
What is he talking about don't play. I knew it was a possibility.
"In that moment, everyone talks about how it feels like you got kicked. I knew right away because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in front of me.
So I was like how did he kick me? There was a short moment while I was falling where I was like how did he kick me in the back of my leg?
And then I was like oh s***."
Indiana’s 2026-27 regular season opener is set for October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
In Other News...
Ben Sheppard Still Has One Real Shot To Earn Pacers Minutes
Ben Sheppards first two seasons in Indiana have not exactly produced a clear-cut rotation answer, but the Pacers still have a need that fits his profile. As a late first-round pick in the 2023 draft, he entered the league with some runway, and the Pacers are still looking for a fourth wing behind their established options, which keeps the door open for a player who can space the floor and hold up defensively.
Sheppard has at least given himself a better foundation than he had before, with his shooting climbing to league average and a case for defensive versatility if he can translate it into trust from the staff. The issue now is less about raw talent than opportunity and consistency, because his minutes will depend on whether he can meet the teams standards and beat out the other candidates competing for the same spot. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Final Roster Spot Could Come Down To One Familiar Presence
The Pacers still have one roster spot open, and the name hanging around that decision is a familiar one in James Johnson. Indiana already knows what it gets with the veteran, who spent time with the team from 2022 to 2025 and carved out a role that went well beyond the box score. In a locker room built around younger pieces and larger ambitions, Johnson has been valued for his presence, his mentoring and the kind of edge that can steady a group over the course of a long season.
General manager Chad Buchanan made clear the organization holds Johnson in high regard, which keeps a return in play even if it is not immediate. Financial limitations mean any move would have to wait until November 5, leaving the Pacers with a little more time before they decide whether to bring back one of their most trusted veterans. For now, the spot remains open, and so does the question of whether Indiana wants its final piece to be someone already familiar with the room. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Face Real Pressure To Justify Their Contender Hype
ESPNs Zach Kram put the Pacers in an eye-catching bucket this offseason, grouping them with the 76ers, Heat and Raptors as teams with enough upside to crash the Finals conversation. It is the kind of label that comes with expectations, especially for a group that looked far less dangerous last season when Tyrese Haliburton was sidelined and the offense never quite had its usual gear.
Haliburtons return is the obvious reason for the optimism after an outstanding 2024-25 season and an All-NBA Third Team nod, but Indiana also made a real commitment to adding more heft around him by trading for Ivica Zubac from the Clippers. The move cost the Pacers a protected first-round pick, which ended up going to Los Angeles after the lottery results, so the pressure now is not just to look promising on paper but to show the upgrade was worth the price. [Read more 🡒]