INDIANAPOLIS - The Pacers’ offense should have a familiar blast of speed and shot-making with Tyrese Haliburton starting to look like himself again. The question hanging over this team as the regular season opens Wednesday on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans is a different one entirely: can they get enough stops?
That issue has been impossible to ignore in the preseason. Indiana put up at least 60 points in the first half of all four of its exhibition games before the starters sat down, but it also allowed at least 56 points in every first half.
The scoring was there. The resistance was not.
Inside camp, the message has been clear: getting back from a franchise-worst 19-63 season in 2025-26 won’t come from talent alone. The Pacers know Haliburton’s return doesn’t automatically put them in contention, especially in what they view as a revitalized Eastern Conference. They need the habits that win on both ends.
“It’s just about creating chemistry, honestly, on both sides,” Andrew Nembhard said, noting his role often includes guarding opponents’ best ball-handler. “It’s about creating chemistry and learning tendencies of our guys.”
Defense has already been a huge part of the Pacers’ recent rise and fall. When they reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023-24, they finished 24th in defensive rating during the regular season.
That number climbed to 13th in 2024-25, then slipped back to 23rd last season. Coach Rick Carlisle said the group has “made some improvements, but it's gonna be an ongoing thing” as he tries to steady that end of the floor again.
A big piece of that work centers on center Ivica Zubac, whom the Pacers acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in February. Zubac gives Indiana something different in the paint. He is not the shot-blocker Myles Turner was, but he earned All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2023-24, something Turner never did.
The fit, though, is still being hammered out. The Clippers used Zubac in drop coverage in pick-and-roll situations, keeping him several feet off the action and closer to the rim. Indiana wants something else, using what it calls “up-to-touch” coverage, which asks the center to play at the level of the screener and recover quicker to the basket.
“Our system is slightly different than what they did with the Clippers, but he's working hard at adjusting to how we play, and there's certain things that we're adjusting because he's a little different than anybody we've ever had,” Carlisle said. “So you never are all the way to your destination. I mean, there's always going to be work and adjustments and continued need for attention to detail with everything.”
Nembhard pointed to Zubac’s impact in a way that fits Indiana’s priorities on both ends.
“We're just working on him getting up-to-touch. He's always been in a drop. I think the biggest thing that he helps us with is the defensive rebounds that end our defensive possessions, but start our offense, too.”
The opener will offer an early test against a Pelicans team that has underperformed in recent years but still has plenty of punch with Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and former Pacer Bennedict Mathurin. Indiana’s defense may still be in progress, but it has to be good enough to help the Pacers win right away.
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Braden Smith keeps making a case for himself in the Pacers backcourt picture, and Fridays preseason game against the Bucks gave fans another reason to pay attention. In 14:22 of regulation, the two-way guard handed out 6 assists, showed the kind of live-dribble vision Indiana likes, and flashed the baseline creativity that has helped him stand out as he works to sharpen his aggressiveness and passing.
Tyrese Haliburton was quick to notice the playmaking, praising Smiths ability to create for others and likening his feel for getting to the baseline to T.J. McConnells, even with McConnell sidelined because of an undisclosed issue. The Pacers lost in overtime, but Smiths minutes only added to a debate that already feels like it could last beyond preseason if he keeps stacking nights like this. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburtons Fiery Bucks Exchange Looks Even More Personal Now
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The Pacers and Bucks wound up needing overtime before Milwaukee escaped with a 128-127 win, though neither player was on the floor for the extra session. In a game that otherwise could have blended into the preseason background, the exchange stood out as one of the more personal moments between two teams that will see plenty more of each other. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Keep Showing One Early Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Pacers have gotten encouraging work from their starting group in preseason, with Pascal Siakam turning in a strong outing that included 24 points and a healthy plus-minus. There have been positives elsewhere, too, but the early trend has been hard to miss: Indianas first unit has looked far more steady than the rest of the rotation as the team tries to sort out its depth.
The issue has surfaced whenever the bench enters the mix, where the Pacers have had trouble protecting leads and keeping the same level of flow. Jay Huff, Ben Sheppard and Quenton Jackson have all posted rough plus-minus numbers, and until that second unit becomes more reliable, the early promise from the starters may keep getting undercut by what happens next. [Read more 🡒]