The Indiana Pacers have spent the offseason trying to erase the memory of a brutal 19-win campaign without Tyrese Haliburton, and the roster they’ve put together looks built for a far different kind of season.
Haliburton is back, Pascal Siakam remains the steady veteran presence, and Ivica Zubac changes the look of the front line in a major way. That combination gives Indiana the kind of talent, depth and experience that can turn last year into a distant memory fast.
So let’s go big with it. Here are three bold calls for the Pacers this season.
First: Indiana wins 54 games.
That would be a 35-win leap from last year’s 19-63 finish, but that record doesn’t really capture what this group can be. Haliburton’s return transforms the offense, and Zubac gives the Pacers something they’ve lacked in recent seasons: a real defensive anchor and rebounder in the middle.
The depth matters too. Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Kelly Oubre Jr., Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell give Rick Carlisle a deep group of proven rotation pieces behind the top end of the roster.
There will be some early-season adjustment as Haliburton gets back into rhythm and Zubac settles in with his new teammates. But once that starts to come together, Indiana looks capable of becoming one of the East’s elite teams and finishing 54-28.
Second: Zubac posts career-best numbers.
He already has the reputation of being one of the NBA’s better traditional centers, but Haliburton could unlock a new layer of production. Haliburton has a track record of making life easier for the bigs he plays with, and Zubac gives him a huge target around the rim who can screen, roll and finish.
The Pacers don’t need him to turn into a high-volume scorer. What they need is efficiency, size and reliability, and the setup around him should make all of that easier to deliver. I’m projecting career highs across the board for Zubac, with 17 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Third: Haliburton takes back the assist crown.
This is the one I’d plant a flag on. Haliburton has already shown he’s one of the league’s best passers, and this might be the deepest collection of offensive weapons he’s had in Indiana.
Zubac gives him another dangerous pick-and-roll option, while Siakam, Nembhard, Nesmith, Oubre and the rest of the rotation give him plenty of outlets in transition and in the half court. The Pacers want to push tempo, move the ball and put Haliburton in charge of the offense. If he stays healthy, I’m predicting 11.5 assists per game, which would be a career high and earn him his second assist title in his young NBA career.
If all of that happens, Indiana won’t just be one of the NBA’s biggest turnaround stories. It’ll be a real force in the Eastern Conference.
A 54-win season would push the Pacers right back near the top of the East, and big years from Haliburton and Zubac would make a strong case that this version of the roster can be even better than the one that made its previous postseason run.
These are bold predictions, sure. But with this much talent, depth and chemistry, they don’t feel far-fetched.
In Other News...
Pacers Center Trade Suddenly Looks Like An Even Bigger Long Term Win
The Pacers front office still looks like it found a smart long-term answer when it brought Ivica Zubac over from the Clippers in a deal that included multiple players and draft picks. At the time, the move made sense as a way to fill a clear need in the middle, and Zubac has since given Indiana the kind of steady center play teams usually spend years trying to lock down.
The trade has only aged better from Indianas side as some of the draft capital tied to the deal has been lost amid the Kawhi Leonard investigation. What once looked like a solid roster move now carries even more value for the Pacers, who get the benefit of Zubacs production while seeing the rest of the transaction tilt further in their favor. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Could Exploit The Clippers To Fix A Key Bench Issue
Indianas bench has been one of the clearer pressure points as the season has taken shape, and that is why a trade idea involving the Clippers is drawing attention. The appeal is straightforward enough for the Pacers: Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. would bring different kinds of help, with Dunn offering another ballhandler and Jones adding athletic wing depth in a group that could use more stability behind the starters.
The Clippers situation makes the framework at least plausible, given their limited draft-pick flexibility and the financial questions hanging over the franchise after the recent scandal. For Indiana, the price would mean moving Jarace Walker and TJ McConnell, which is no small decision for a team that values guard depth and long-term upside. It is the kind of proposal that makes sense on paper because both sides can point to a need, even if the real challenge is whether the deal ever gets far enough to test it. [Read more 🡒]
Rick Carlisle Is Getting The Kind Of Respect Pacers Fans Craved
Rick Carlisle has spent enough time around the NBA to know awards chatter can fade as quickly as it arrives, but the latest bit of attention feels different for the Pacers. ESPNs experts recently picked Carlisle as the favorite to win the 2026-27 NBA Coach of the Year award, a vote of confidence that comes with Indiana fresh off an NBA Finals appearance and with the veteran coach continuing to shape the franchise since returning in 2021.
For Pacers fans, the bigger point is the respect attached to the name. Carlisle is the leagues oldest coach, yet the conversation around him is not about nostalgia or rsum padding, it is about what he still has left to build in Indianapolis. Mitch Johnson and Will Hardy also drew support in the vote, which says plenty about the competition in the coaching ranks, but Carlisle being the one at the top is a reminder of how far the Pacers have come under his watch. [Read more 🡒]