Tyrese Haliburton is on his way back, but Rick Carlisle isn’t interested in turning the Indiana Pacers into a one-man rescue mission.
That was the message from the veteran coach as he talked about Haliburton’s return after the star guard missed all of last season with a torn Achilles. Carlisle made it clear the Pacers expect their leader to matter right away - just not as a solo act.
Haliburton has been out since Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and Indiana has spent the last season trying to survive without him. The result was a rough 2025-26 campaign in which the Pacers won just 19 games and never looked anything like the team that had been rolling the year before.
With Haliburton back, the expectation is that Indiana can move back into the mix among the East’s top teams. But Carlisle pushed back on the idea that the guard will simply walk in and fix everything by himself. He said Haliburton will be part of the team’s "ecosystem", not a one-man show.
That’s where the rest of the roster comes in. Carlisle wants the other Pacers to understand that the offense can’t become a waiting game for Haliburton touches. Indiana was at its best when everybody on the floor was involved, not when the entire operation revolved around one player trying to carry the load.
None of that means Haliburton won’t be the focal point. He will be.
But Carlisle’s point was that the Pacers need balance, especially early as their guard works back into rhythm. If the other pieces step up, it eases the pressure on Haliburton and gives Indiana a better chance to settle in while he gets his legs back under him.
There’s also the possibility that the Pacers handle his minutes carefully at first. Haliburton has been out for a long stretch, and Carlisle may ease him back into the rotation rather than throwing him straight into his usual workload. The guard will want to play heavy minutes again - that much is clear - but Indiana may have to rein him in at the start to protect him over the course of the regular season.
For now, the storyline is simple: Haliburton’s return gives the Pacers a real lift, but Carlisle wants the comeback to be shared work, not a solo comeback script.
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Getting there required some commitment. Zubac arrived at the 2024-25 trade deadline in a move that cost Indiana a protected first-round pick, and the deal sent that selection to the Clippers after the protections were no longer in play. Haliburton is already locked in on a five-year extension signed in 2023, Siakam remains a four-time All-Star expected to anchor the core, and the message from the Pacers is unmistakable: they are paying for a lineup they believe can deliver, and they want the results to match. [Read more 🡒]