The Indiana Pacers opened the preseason with a respectable nod from Yahoo Sports, landing 14th in Kevin O’Connor’s NBA power rankings.
That puts Indiana just ahead of the Atlanta Hawks and one spot behind the Detroit Pistons, a solid spot for a team expected to get back to the playoffs after last season’s 19-win finish.
A big reason for that optimism is the return of Tyrese Haliburton. He missed last season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, and his presence changes everything for Indiana. The Pacers are widely expected to roll out Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac as their starting five next season, a group that looks strong on paper.
Haliburton’s last healthy season was a huge one. In 2024-25, he put 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.
Indiana also made a run to the 2025 NBA Finals and came within one game of the title. The Pacers were winning when Haliburton went down in Oklahoma City, and there’s a sense that both he and the team will be eager to answer the skeptics next season. Some pundits don’t see Indiana as a contender and don’t believe Haliburton will return to the All-Star level he had before the injury.
The wait to see him back in action is almost over. Indiana opens the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
For his career, Haliburton has averaged 17.5 points and 8.8 assists in the regular season and 17.9 points and 8.4 assists in the playoffs.
The Pacers’ offseason has also been shaped by a major trade last year that brought Zubac over from the LA Clippers. It came at a steep price. Indiana lost its first-round pick in the 2026 draft because of the deal.
The Pacers had needed to finish in the top four to keep that selection after sending protections to the Clippers. The trade included two first-round picks going to Los Angeles: one in 2029 and either this year’s first if it landed outside the top four or a 2031 unprotected first-rounder if it did not.
When the Washington Wizards moved up in the lottery, Indiana slipped to fifth, and the pick went to the Clippers.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Had A Painful Knicks Confession Pacers Fans Will Feel
Tyrese Haliburtons name still sits at the center of everything the Pacers do, but this week he was talking about a different kind of heartbreak. On the Boardroom Podcast, the Indiana guard opened up about watching the New York Knicks win the NBA championship while he was sidelined by injury, and he didnt try to hide how complicated that moment felt. The reaction came with a mix of anger, happiness and sadness, a reminder that even as the Knicks achievement demanded respect, it also forced him to sit out the playoff run he wanted most.
For Pacers fans, the confession lands with extra weight because the rivalry has been heated enough already, and Haliburtons ties to some Knicks players only add another layer to it. He made clear that friendships can coexist with competition, even when the team on the other side is celebrating the title he was unable to chase. It leaves the same lingering thought that has hung over Indiana since the injury: how different all of this might have felt if Haliburton had been healthy enough to be on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Have One Depth Concern That Could Decide Their Title Push
The Pacers have spent much of this season looking like a team with real upside, but the conversation around their title push keeps circling back to one uncomfortable roster question: who steps up when the rotation gets stressed? Indianas top eight can carry a lot, yet the margin behind them looks thin, with several players either still unproven or carrying the label of draft disappointments, which makes the bench far less comforting than it might appear on paper.
That matters in the postseason, where injuries and foul trouble tend to expose every weak spot, and where contenders often get saved by a surprise role player who was barely on the radar in January. Indiana has plenty to like at the top, but if the Pacers are going to survive the grind and keep pace with the leagues deepest teams, they may need someone from the back end of the roster to become much more reliable than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Camp Could Decide More Than Fans Realize About This Bench
The Pacers head into training camp with the top of the rotation looking fairly settled, but the real intrigue is lower on the roster, where several bench jobs are still up for grabs. The backup wing spot is one of the clearest competitions, with Isaiah Walker and Aaron Sheppard both trying to make a case, while the second unit frontcourt has its own battle brewing between Isaiah Huff and Larry Nance Jr. for the backup center role.
There is also a contract wrinkle that could shape how the final bench takes form, since two-way players Jalen Slawson and Kobe Brown are competing for a standard NBA deal. For Indiana, these decisions are more than housekeeping, because training camp and preseason will help determine not just who sticks, but which skill sets the coaching staff trusts when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]