The Indiana Pacers will have a lot to prove during the 2026-27 NBA season. Tyrese Haliburton, the team's star guard, will be returning to game action after missing the entirety of the ’25-26 season due to a torn Achilles.
What happened to Tyrese Haliburton?
Tyrese Haliburton was named the Indiana Pacers player with the most to prove next season by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report. Coming off a major injury, Haliburton will have to prove that he’s still the same player that he was before the injury. Indiana’s future as a team largely hinges on his ability to do so. The Pacers recently finished their last game with a 94-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on 2026-04-10.
Why it matters for Indiana Pacers
Haliburton's career now features a distinct before-and-after dividing line, and what he does from now on will probably be harder than what he’s done before, Hughes wrote. The after portion of his career matters so much because Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers spent his year on the shelf acting as if he would be the same elite driver of offense he was before the injury. We’ll see if Haliburton’s form justifies that belief. If Haliburton is able to bounce back and regain his form following his injury, the Pacers could quickly re-enter the contender conversation in the Eastern Conference.
What comes next for Tyrese Haliburton?
Haliburton will enter the season eager to remind people just how good he is, and with a chip on his shoulder. He recently expressed disappointment that the league decided not to air his return game on a national stage. Name any other person that you compare to my level of a basketball player, wherever you have me ranked, if they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think that first game back would be on national TV, Haliburton said. The best move for Haliburton would be to use this perceived slight as motivation heading into a very important campaign for both he and the Pacers. With a recent form of 1W-0D-3L, the Pacers will be looking to turn their season around with Haliburton's return.