Tyrese Haliburton is on track to be back for opening night, and that alone changes the mood around Indiana.
The Pacers confirmed Saturday that their star point guard is expected to return after a 15-month absence, a major step forward for a team that fell apart after reaching the NBA Finals in 2025 and then finished the next season near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
“League sources have informed me that the Indiana Pacers are extremely optimistic that Tyrese Haliburton will be available for day one of the season opener in the 2026-27 season,” reported NBA insider Chris Haynes.
For Indiana, this is the kind of update that brings real relief. Achilles injuries have wrecked plenty of careers over the last two decades, with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum among the big names affected.
Some have found their way back to elite form. Haliburton is trying to join that group.
Before the injury, the 26-year-old was putting together a huge season. In 73 games in 2024-25, he averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field and 38.8% from three. He helped push the Pacers to the fourth seed in the East and got them within one win of a championship.
Then came Game 7, when Haliburton tore his Achilles in the moment that derailed everything. Indiana lost the title-deciding game without him, and the injury wiped out any realistic shot at contention in 2026. Haliburton later called it one of the worst moments of his career.
Now the focus shifts to October, when he’s expected to be back on the floor for the first time in two seasons. There will almost certainly be some rust at the start, but Haliburton has been working to make sure he’s ready to resume where he left off in 2025.
The Pacers also have enough around him to matter. Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith are in place, and the team added veteran center Ivica Zubac, a big man who brings rebounding, paint scoring, and shot blocking.
If Haliburton returns at full strength, Indiana’s outlook changes fast. The Pacers believe they can climb back into the playoff mix, and this update is the first big sign that their rise may be back on track.
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