Jay Huff is already sounding like a believer in what Tyrese Haliburton brings back to Indiana.
With Haliburton set to rejoin the Pacers next season after missing last season because of the Achilles tendon tear he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Huff said the fit speaks for itself.
“He makes everybody around him better, and I think that’s really useful to have,” Huff said, via Forbes. "I think just having him back, learning to play together- he’s got a lot of guys back that have played with him - but it’s been good to kind of learn that because we hadn’t done that yet.”
That kind of talk lines up with Haliburton’s résumé. He was coming off a strong 2024-25 season for Indiana before the injury, averaging 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.
His numbers in a Pacers uniform have been steady across the board: 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Haliburton also signed a five-year, $244 million extension with the Pacers in July 2023, and his deal is set to pay him $48,924,624 next season, $52,298,736 in 2027-28 and $55,672,848 in 2028-29, the final year of the contract.
Indiana is expected to roll out Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac as its starting five next season, a group that looks strong on paper. Huff, meanwhile, is expected to come off the bench and provide energy after averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season.
The Pacers know exactly what they’re getting back in Haliburton, too. He owns career averages of 17.5 points and 8.8 assists per game in the regular season, along with 17.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs.
And the injury that knocked him out still lingers as one of the brutal what-ifs from Indiana’s Finals run. Haliburton talked about it on the " Numbers On The Board" podcast, saying, "I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it," and later describing the moment he realized something was wrong after feeling contact from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"In that moment, everyone talks about how it feels like you got kicked. I knew right away because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in front of me.
So I was like how did he kick me? There was a short moment while I was falling where I was like how did he kick me in the back of my leg?
And then I was like oh s***."
Indiana will open the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
In Other News...
Former Pacers Star Victor Oladipo Makes Emotional NBA Plea
Victor Oladipo is still trying to write one more chapter in an NBA career that once made him one of the leagues most compelling guards. The former Pacers standout recently posted an open letter to general managers across the league, making a direct appeal for another chance after years spent grinding through the long road back from injury and the uncertainty that comes with it.
Oladipos path has been shaped by major setbacks, including a ruptured quadriceps in 2019 and a torn patellar tendon in 2023, and he spent last season appearing in 26 G League games as he kept chasing a return. He has also held open tryouts this summer, underscoring how far he is willing to go to get back in front of NBA decision-makers, even as the finish line remains out of sight. [Read more 🡒]
Pascal Siakam Just Set The Tone For Indianas Next East Push
Pascal Siakam is already sounding like the kind of veteran the Pacers needed as they look ahead to their next Eastern Conference push. The four-time All-Star spoke about bringing a tougher, more aggressive edge into the 2026-27 season, and that attitude fits a roster that has been reworked around him with the additions of Ivica Zubac and Kelly Oubre Jr., plus Tyrese Haliburton expected back from injury.
For Indiana, the message matters because the margin in the East is so thin and Siakam just spent last season averaging 24 points per game while carrying a major offensive load. If Haliburton returns at full strength and the new pieces settle in quickly, the Pacers have a chance to look more complete than they did a year ago, with Siakam positioned to help drive the whole thing. [Read more 🡒]