Tyrese Haliburton is back, but the Pacers still have a lot to sort out before anyone starts talking like last season never happened.
Indiana’s 2025-26 campaign was derailed by the Achilles injury Haliburton suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and the fallout was brutal. The star point guard missed the season, the franchise slipped into an unexpected gap year, and the Pacers finished 19-63. Now Haliburton is recovered and ready to play again, but his return alone does not settle the bigger question: how quickly can Indiana get back to contender level?
“I don't know if they're just going to jump right back to where they were before Haliburton’s injury,” an NBA scout told Sports Illustrated. “I think they'll be good, but it's just going to be like, how does Tyrese come back?
And (Ivica) Zubac, how will they utilize him? Rick Carlisle's a great coach that will figure it out.
They'll run new stuff.”
That’s the heart of the matter. The Pacers do bring back most of the important pieces from their surprising Finals run.
Haliburton still drives the whole thing, and Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard are all back as core pieces around him. If that group clicks again under Carlisle, Indiana has enough talent to resemble the team that made noise in 2025.
But one major piece has changed, and it changes everything. Myles Turner was the starting center when the Pacers lost to the Thunder, but he left in free agency that summer.
Indiana answered by trading for Zubac, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Clippers. He’s a solid player, but he’s not Turner.
Turner gave the Pacers rare center production with shooting range and rim protection. Zubac is a more traditional big man who sets hard screens and pounds the boards.
That means Indiana’s identity is going to look different with Haliburton back in the lead role. The scout who spoke to SI isn’t sold on how smoothly the fit will come together, though he does believe the Pacers’ roster construction gives Zubac a better chance than he had in Los Angeles.
“The problem Zubac had in Clipperland was he just clogged up the paint,” the scout said. “The Clippers were better when he was hurt and not playing.
He's a great center and I guess he'll be better for Indiana than he was with the Clippers because those guys in Indiana are shooters. Haliburton will be taking the step-back three.
He's not James Harden or Kawhi Leonard playing in the paint, mid-range, where it’s clogged up. The Pacers’ wings are shooting threes.
That will help. “Turner was more perimeter-oriented.
Zubac's more low-block, but they're going to have to change what they do and how they do it. So if he plays well with Haliburton, then yeah, they'll make something work.
But I don't know. I don't see Zubac as a pick-and-roll guy.
He's a low post guy. And Haliburton needs someone to play pick-and-roll.”
Indiana’s offseason was shaped mostly by moves made during the season, which left little room for a dramatic summer overhaul. The Zubac deal happened in February and cost the Pacers two first-round picks, a second-round pick, Benedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson.
One of those firsts was used in the 2026 draft, and Indiana ended up with just one second-rounder, which it spent on former Purdue guard Braden Smith. He signed a two-way contract for this season.
The only other free-agent additions were Oubre and Nance. Oubre came from the 76ers and got $16.5 million over two years. Nance, who logged useful minutes as a reserve big man in Cleveland last season, signed a one-year deal to provide depth.
Even with Haliburton back, the road in the East looks rough. The conference is packed with stars, and nobody wants to draw a fast-moving Pacers team in a seven-game series. Still, there are real questions about how this roster holds together over 82 games and whether the pieces around Haliburton can keep pace.
Haliburton may need time to get back to his best. Carlisle has to figure out where the bench scoring comes from after trading away Mathurin to land Zubac. Siakam cannot afford a dip as he enters his age-32 season, and Nesmith and Obi Toppin have to help push Indiana back toward winning basketball.
The Pacers could absolutely have everything lined up by playoff time. But they are likely to take their share of bumps before then, and the teams around them in the conference are hungry too. For now, SI projects Indiana to land in the play-in tournament.
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