The Indiana Pacers are heading into the new season with a team that still has plenty of believers, even if the league’s decision-makers aren’t exactly locked in on what comes next.
That uncertainty showed up in the NBA’s annual general manager survey, where Indiana landed at seven percent of the vote and was tied for fifth in expected level of success this season. For a team that came within one win of the NBA title during the 2024-25 season, then crashed to just 19 victories and missed the postseason entirely last year, that kind of split makes sense.
A big reason for the confusion is Tyrese Haliburton. The star guard missed the season while recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and his absence left the Pacers limited in what they could do. Now he’s back on the floor, and he has played in the preseason while looking like his former self as he works back into game shape.
Haliburton has said that he is fully healthy, and if that holds, the Pacers suddenly look a lot closer to the contender they were before everything went sideways. Indiana has built a solid core around him, and that gives the team a real path back into the thick of the Eastern Conference race.
There’s still some caution built into the plan. Because Haliburton has been out for so long, Indiana may ease him back in rather than rushing the process, and head coach Rick Carlisle will be the one managing that balance. He won’t risk the health of his star player just to squeeze out early-season minutes.
Even with the East expected to be stronger after a busy summer of roster upgrades across the conference, the Pacers remain confident in what they have. Inside the locker room, they believe they can match up with anyone.
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Pacers May Have An In-House Answer To A Growing Frontcourt Need
The Pacers frontcourt picture has been thin enough that every bit of internal progress matters, and Rienk Mast has at least given the team something worth watching in Las Vegas and in the preseason. With Ivica Zubac entrenched as the starter and Jay Huff headed toward free agency, Indiana does not have much proven depth behind the five spot, which makes a productive undrafted free agent more than just a feel-good summer story.
Masts play has been strong enough to put him in the conversation for a 10-day contract and, beyond that, a chance to stick as a backup option. For a Pacers organization that has not always maximized player development in recent years, finding a useful rotational big from outside the draft would count as a real win, especially with the need in the middle growing rather than shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Still Have Two Lineup Questions Hanging Over Opening Night
With the final preseason game on deck, the Pacers used practice to sharpen a few of the questions that still matter most before opening night. Rick Carlisle spent part of the session addressing the backup center picture, where Jay Huff and Larry Nance Jr. remain in the mix, while Aaron Nesmith was ruled out of the upcoming game because of a mild hamstring injury. It was the kind of late-October checkpoint that tends to clarify roles, even if it does not settle them completely.
Tyrese Haliburton also spoke about getting his preseason work in and using that time to get mentally ready for the games that count. Carlisle did not have a fresh update on T.J. McConnells injury status, but he did offer an optimistic note on the point guards recovery. For a Pacers group trying to get all the details lined up before the real thing begins, those are useful signs, even if the last few pieces are still waiting to fall into place. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron Just Put The Pacers Back In The East Contender Talk
LeBron James and Steve Nash spent part of their Mind the Game podcast revisiting the Indiana Pacers, and the conversation was less about where the team is now than where it could be headed. Their optimism centered on the 2026-27 season, when the Pacers core could be back in a more settled place, with Tyrese Haliburtons health looming as the biggest factor in how high the group can climb.
Haliburtons Achilles injury adds obvious uncertainty, and both James and Nash made clear it will take time for him to get back to his old form. They also pointed to Ivica Zubac as a strong fit for Indiana after Myles Turners departure, a reminder that the Pacers still have pieces that can keep them in the East conversation if the star guard returns close to himself. [Read more 🡒]