The Indiana Pacers’ schedule is out, and one NBA analyst already has a number in mind for next season: 46 wins and 36 losses.
That projection comes from Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report, who sees Indiana getting back to the playoffs after a brutal season without Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers finished with only 19 wins last year, a far cry from what they’re expected to be once Haliburton returns to the lineup.
Haliburton’s presence changes everything. In 2024-25, he put together a huge season for Indiana, 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. He then helped lead the Pacers through the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Knicks before Indiana reached the 2025 NBA Finals.
The run ended there, with the Thunder beating the Pacers in seven games. Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7, and the basketball world is still waiting for his return. “We are almost there.”
Indiana has also reshaped the roster around him. The Pacers added Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. in free agency this offseason, and their biggest move came last season when they acquired Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers.
That deal came with a steep price. Indiana gave up its first-round pick in the 2026 draft, and the protections on the trade meant the Pacers needed to land in the top four to keep it. The trade sent two of Indiana’s first-round picks to the Clippers: one in 2029 and either this year’s first if it fell outside of the top four or a 2031 unprotected first-rounder if it did not.
When the Washington Wizards moved up in the lottery, Indiana ended up fifth, and the pick went to the Clippers.
That loss stings even more because the Pacers could have taken AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson. Instead, they’re banking on Zubac living up to the kind of impact that makes the trade worth it.
Still, the outlook is clear enough. With Haliburton back alongside Pascal Siakam and Zubac, Indiana is widely expected to start Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Siakam and Zubac next season, and a return to the postseason looks well within reach.
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