Rick Carlisle says the Pacers are going to look different this season, and the reason is sitting right in the middle of their lineup.
Indiana spent last year trying to recover from a brutal chain of events. The team had come within one win of the NBA title in the 2025-26 season, but Tyrese Haliburton’s injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals changed everything. Haliburton missed the entire season after that, and the Pacers cratered to 19 wins, missing the playoffs completely.
That wasn’t the only hit. Indiana also lost its first-round draft pick after sending it to the Los Angeles Clippers during the season, though the deal brought back Ivica Zubac, giving the Pacers a real center to build around. Zubac played only five games last season, but he now enters his first full year with the team.
His numbers in Indiana so far - 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game - hint at what he can bring. With Haliburton back, those figures should climb. But Zubac is not the same kind of big man Indiana has used before, and Carlisle made it clear at Media Day that the team will have to adjust.
The biggest difference is simple: Zubac doesn’t stretch the floor the way Myles Turner did. That changes the shape of the offense. At the same time, Zubac gives Indiana more on the glass and more production at the rim, two areas that can alter how the Pacers attack.
Carlisle plans to tweak the schemes around Zubac’s game, but the adjustment won’t be one-way. Zubac will also have to adapt to Indiana’s familiar up-tempo style. He has been in the league for 10 years and built a solid career, but this move asks something different from him: to stay in the best shape of his NBA career and fit into a faster system than the one he’s known.
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Zubac Just Gave Pacers Fans An Encouraging Read On Team Chemistry
Ivica Zubac did not spend long in Indiana after arriving from the Los Angeles Clippers at last seasons trade deadline, but the early read he offered on the Pacers still stood out. At Media Day, Zubac praised the rosters camaraderie and compared the groups feel to the Croatian National Team, a notable compliment for a team leaning into continuity and chemistry as it tries to build on last seasons momentum.
For Pacers fans, the encouraging part is not just the tone of Zubacs comments, but the role that may come with them. He is expected to have a much larger presence this season alongside Tyrese Haliburton as Indianas center, which makes his comfort level with the locker room more than a feel-good note. If the fit clicks the way Zubac suggested, it could matter quickly for a team looking to turn chemistry into results. [Read more 🡒]
Rick Carlisle Sends A Clear Message About Tyrese Haliburtons Return
Tyrese Haliburton is expected back on the floor for the Pacers this season after missing the previous year with a torn Achilles, and the early messaging from Rick Carlisle has been pretty clear about how Indiana plans to handle it. The coach is not framing Haliburton as some isolated fix for everything that went wrong last season, but as one piece of a broader system the Pacers want to lean on as they try to move forward.
That approach also suggests Indiana will be cautious at first, with Haliburtons minutes potentially limited early as the team manages his health and reintegration. For a Pacers group coming off a rough season, the return of its point guard matters a lot, but Carlisles stance hints the organization is thinking bigger than one comeback and more about building something sustainable around him. [Read more 🡒]
Ivica Zubac Just Put A New Pacers Question In Focus
Ivica Zubac is already getting a feel for what life looks like in Indiana, and the adjustment starts with pace. The veteran big man talked about fitting into the Pacers' up-tempo approach and what it means to play alongside Tyrese Haliburton, whose quick-trigger style can turn a possession around before defenses are fully set.
Haliburton's return from injury adds another layer to the season's early rhythm, because Indiana is trying to rebuild chemistry while keeping its title expectations intact. Zubac's comments point to a familiar Pacers question: how quickly can the group sync up when the offense is built around a guard who pushes tempo and starts things earlier than most big men are used to? [Read more 🡒]