Tyrese Haliburton is back in the conversation for the Indiana Pacers, and a new video has only sharpened the buzz around what he looks like after the Achilles tear.
Haliburton missed all of last season, but the Pacers star is set to return to the lineup next season. The latest clip makes one thing clear: he looks strong.
That matters because Indiana is counting on one of the NBA’s top guards to pick up where he left off. In the 2024-25 season, Haliburton put together an outstanding run for the Pacers, 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.
Across his Pacers career, he has averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Indiana locked him in with a five-year, $244 million extension in July 2023.
His contract is set to pay him $48,924,624 next season, then $52,298,736 in 2027-28 and $55,672,848 in 2028-29, the final year of the deal.
The Pacers are expected to roll out Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac next season, a starting five that looks strong on paper.
Haliburton’s numbers tell the story of how important he’s been when healthy. He owns regular-season career averages of 17.5 points and 8.8 assists per game, along with 17.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs.
Indiana’s injury-hit ending last season still hangs over the team. The Pacers may have won Game 7 against the OKC Thunder if Haliburton hadn’t gotten hurt.
Haliburton called that finish painful in an appearance on the " Numbers On The Board" podcast. "I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it," Haliburton said.
"When I strained my calf, I knew it was a possibility. We knew that internally.
Kendrick Perkins was going on TV talking about don't play. Get the f*** out of here.
What is he talking about don't play. I knew it was a possibility.
"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 opens the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Just Reminded Everyone What The Pacers Still Depend On
Even with Anthony Edwards having the flashier highlight reel, Dean Olivers latest look at the 2020 NBA Draft class puts Tyrese Haliburton squarely in the center of the debate for best player from that group. The ESPN analytics writer points to several player metrics where Haliburton comes out ahead, a reminder of how quickly the Pacers point guard has turned himself into the kind of player who changes the temperature of a franchise. Since arriving in Indiana in 2022, he has already piled up two All-NBA Third Team selections and two All-Star nods, and the teams drop-off without him has made his value impossible to ignore.
For the Pacers, the bigger question is less about the rsum and more about what comes next. Haliburton signed a five-year extension in 2023, but there is still speculation about how Indiana will ease him into the upcoming season, which matters because the offense and the bigger picture around the roster still revolve around him. However the Pacers manage the early stretch, they are making it clear that their ceiling still starts with Haliburton. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Fans Suddenly Have Real Reason To Watch James Johnson
James Johnson showed up at the Pacers players-only mini camp in Nashville, and that alone was enough to turn a few heads. For a team that values continuity and a steady voice in the room, the sight of a familiar veteran in that setting was notable, especially since Johnson already has a history in Indiana and has long been regarded as a player whose influence extends well beyond the box score.
Johnsons presence naturally raises the question of what comes next, even if nothing official has been announced yet for the 2026-27 NBA season. The Pacers know what theyd be getting in a player like him: leadership, professionalism and a strong locker room presence. For now, his appearance at the mini camp is the clearest hint that there may be more to this story, and fans will be watching closely to see whether it leads to a reunion. [Read more 🡒]
Myles Turner Just Drew New Attention To What The Pacers Lost
Myles Turner has stepped into a new leadership role off the floor, adding another layer to a career that was defined for a decade in Indiana. The former Pacers center has been elected vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, taking over the spot previously held by Garrett Temple, a reminder that his influence around the league has grown well beyond shot-blocking and floor spacing.
For Pacers fans, the timing only sharpens the memory of what the team moved on from when Turner signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2025. Indianas roster has since shifted with Ivica Zubac in the picture, and the contrast is hard to miss: Turner brought a very different style, one that changed how the Pacers could play at both ends. His new role now puts another spotlight on the value he once provided, even as Indiana keeps adjusting to life after him. [Read more 🡒]