The Indiana Pacers’ first preseason game won’t answer the biggest questions hanging over this team. It won’t tell anyone whether Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles is ready.
It won’t reveal how Kelly Oubre Jr. fits beside Andrew Nembhard or Aaron Nesmith. It won’t settle what happens when the Pacers try to manage a faster style with Ivica Zubac, or whether that trade is a clean basketball fit or a talent upgrade that still leaves something to be desired.
What this opener can show is something more basic, and maybe more important for what looks like a season that will push every player on the roster: chemistry.
That’s the part you can’t box score. Morale doesn’t show up in a stat column, but everybody knows when a team feels good, it usually plays that way.
Chemistry is slippery like that. You can’t always point to it, but you know it when you see it.
Last year’s New York Knicks had it in full. Karl-Anthony Towns was all in.
Jalen Brunson had one of his best friends on the planet next to him, plus another college friend. Even OG Anunoby, who might be the driest, most understated player in the NBA, looked happy, and it carried onto the floor.
That’s why the most useful thing to watch for in this preseason game may be simpler than lineup combinations or individual matchups: do the Pacers actually like playing with each other? Do they enjoy being around each other?
Tyrese Haliburton is going to be smiling either way. That’s just him.
But Pascal Siakam has already spoken about how much last season weighed on him. Aaron Nesmith is coming back after playing only 45 games.
Ivica Zubac has had to reset his life after spending his entire career in L.A. and just finished moving to Indiana.
These are people first, players second, and this season is going to demand a lot from them. If the Pacers can build something real in the locker room and on the floor - if they can challenge each other, support each other, and get through the rough patches together - that’s where the chance for something special starts.
You won’t see that in the same neat way you’d see a shooting stroke or a defensive scheme. But you can feel it.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Gives Pacers Fans One Huge Reason To Watch Tonight
The Pacers finally get a real look at their new starting group tonight when they open preseason against the Timberwolves, and there is plenty of curiosity baked into the matchup. For Indiana, this is the first chance to see the lineup tested against another team after camp work, with the game offering an early read on how the pieces fit as the season approaches. Minnesota brings its own intrigue after an active offseason, so this is not just a tune-up for the Pacers but a first glimpse at where they stand.
Tyrese Haliburtons return from injury is the biggest reason Indiana fans will be paying attention, since his presence changes the tone of the entire operation. His availability gives the Pacers a centerpiece to build around again, and tonight should offer a useful look at how he moves with the new starting five around him. There are still plenty of questions left to answer, but this game at least starts to sketch out what Indiana can be once the games begin to count. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Championship Hopes May Come Down To One Deadline Decision
Tyrese Haliburton is back for the 2026-2027 season, but the Pacers are not exactly rolling into the year with a freshly restocked cupboard. Indiana missed out on the kind of draft break that can quietly change a teams ceiling, and after losing Myles Turner in free agency, the front office had to patch the middle of the roster by bringing in Ivica Zubac through a trade. It leaves the Pacers in a familiar but uncomfortable spot: good enough to matter, not yet complete enough to feel settled.
What happens next may hinge less on opening night than on February. With the Eastern Conference getting tougher and Indianas current core still needing help around Haliburton, the organization is expected to keep its powder dry for the 2027 trade deadline, when the right move could determine whether this season becomes a step forward or just another year of waiting on the edge of contention. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Slawson Has A Real Chance To Force His Way In
Jalen Slawson has already taken an unusual route to get here, and Indiana looks like the kind of place where that path can keep opening up. After being cut by both Sacramento and Orlando, he has put together a summer that has given the Pacers a reason to keep watching closely, especially as they sort through the edges of a roster that always seems to have room for players who can fit specific roles.
For Slawson, the job description is pretty clear. Indiana is looking for defense, rebounding and energy in transition more than a polished scoring package, and his two-way contract gives him a chance to prove he can handle that assignment every night. The preseason now looms as the real test, because if he keeps building on what he has shown so far, he could play his way into something more meaningful than just another developmental look. [Read more 🡒]