The Indiana Pacers have spent their most recent eras leaning into the same basic idea: go fast, play free, and let the stars thrive in space. Paul George did it.
Victor Oladipo did it. Tyrese Haliburton is doing it now.
Different players, same fuel.
That’s what makes the Oladipo what-if sting so much. The Pacers never really got the version of him that would have fit this current group, and by the time this roster came together, injuries had already taken too much out of him.
What exists now is a comeback attempt from a 34-year-old former Most Improved Player and third-team All-NBA selection from seven years ago. That’s worth watching, but it also feels like a reminder of what was lost.
Back when Oladipo was at his best in Indiana, he was carrying far more than he should have had to. The roster had useful pieces - Myles Turner, Darren Collison, Domantas Sabonis beginning to emerge, and Bojan Bogdanovic coming off what was likely his best season - but Oladipo was the engine. In an NBA shaped by superteams and big threes, he was asked to do the work of a centerpiece without the kind of centerpiece help that usually comes with it.
That’s why the fit with this Pacers core feels so obvious now. Haliburton is a pass-first star who lives in transition.
Pascal Siakam is an All-Star. Ivica Zubac is not far behind him.
The role players around them are built to amplify the stars, not overwhelm them. In that setup, prime Oladipo would have looked right at home.
The version of him that should have existed alongside Haliburton and Siakam was never the guy forced to do everything. He was the ideal second or third option: a scorer, a defender, a wing who could hit big shots and take on the opponent’s best perimeter threat.
Khris Middleton. Klay Thompson.
That kind of player.
Imagine him finishing off Haliburton pocket passes with clutch threes. Imagine him attacking closeouts while another star carries the bigger load. Imagine the pressure he could have taken off Haliburton, allowing longer rests instead of the kind of strain that leaves a team scrambling for answers.
Instead, Oladipo’s career got wrecked by injury after injury, starting in 2019 and spiraling from there. The Pacers are left with the thought of what he could have been in this version of the team, and what this version of the team could have done with him.
It’s a clean fit on paper. It just arrived too late.
In Other News...
Pacers Suddenly Have A Lot Riding On The Clippers Future
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers has changed the draft picture in a hurry, and the ripple effects reach teams that have been watching that franchises future assets for years. Los Angeles lost five first-round picks and was fined $30 million, leaving it with just three first-round selections to work with, including two from Toronto and one tied to the Ivica Zubac trade. For clubs trying to map out the next few drafts, that kind of reset can reshape both the market and the value of every remaining pick the Clippers control.
For the Pacers, the bigger question is what happens next if those limited assets become the centerpiece of future trade discussions. Summer league also kept Keaton Wagler in the conversation, and his performance added another layer to the broader roster outlook, but the draft side of this story now feels especially important. When a team like the Clippers loses so much of its draft capital, every remaining pick carries more weight, and Indiana has reason to keep a close eye on how that future unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Victor Oladipos NBA Comeback Could Reopen A Complicated Pacers Memory
Victor Oladipos push to get back into the NBA has reached another notable checkpoint, with the former Pacers guard now cleared by the Heat to work out at their arena as he continues his recovery. After multiple injuries, including a ruptured quadriceps tendon and a torn patellar tendon, the path back has been long and uncertain, but the latest step suggests there is at least still a viable lane for a return if his body cooperates.
For Indiana fans, Oladipos comeback inevitably stirs an old mix of excitement and what-ifs. He was once the face of a Pacers team built around his two-way energy and leadership, and any real chance at another NBA opportunity would reopen memories of how promising that era felt before injuries changed everything. Miami may be his best opportunity at the moment, but the bigger question remains whether he can complete the climb and earn one more shot this season. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburton Gives Pacers A Reason To Dream Bigger
Tyrese Haliburtons return gives Indiana a different kind of optimism as it heads toward next season. After missing the previous year with an Achilles tendon injury, the Pacers are expected to have him back in the lineup, and that alone changes the tone around a team that already had reason to believe in its core. Jay Huff was among those praising Haliburton, a reminder of how much respect he has earned inside the locker room after an outstanding 2024-25 season and a long-term extension that tied him to the franchise.
The Pacers are also preparing to open with a familiar-looking starting group that includes Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac, which gives the team real continuity at a time when health and rhythm matter most. Haliburtons presence is the part everyone will watch, though, because his return is what can turn a solid roster into one with a much higher ceiling. For Indiana, the hope is not just getting him back, but getting back the version of the Pacers that made bigger dreams feel realistic. [Read more 🡒]