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A year after Tyrese Haliburtons devastating torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder, things are starting to look up for the Pacers.
Haliburtons injury in the final game of the 202425 season ended a magical run for Indiana that fell just one game short of the franchises first NBA title.
It kept the Pacers star guard out for the entirety of this past season, which threw out the full year as Indiana finished with the leagues second-worst record at 1963.
Still, the Pacers front office positioned the team to return to prominence next season, most notably by trading for Clippers big man Ivica Zubac at the February trade deadline.
That came at a big price, sending out two first-round picks and fourth-year wing Bennedict Mathurin in the deal.
The first of the two first-rounders was for this years draft, protected on picks 14 and 1030.
That meant that the pick would stay with Indiana unless it landed between No.
5 and No.
9.
A positive of the down year was an opportunity to add a young star next to Haliburton once he was back on the court, which made trading the 2026 first-rounder a huge gamble that came back to bite.
In the draft lottery, the ping pong balls didnt fall Indianas way as its pick landed at No.
5 and was sent to the Clippers, which left the Pacers without a first-round pick after a miserable season.
Despite the mishap, Zubac fills a real roster need and Indianas return to Eastern Conference supremacy relies on Haliburtons return to his usual self once he hits the floor.
Haliburton recently provided an update on his lengthy recovery and all seems on track with three months left ahead of his targeted return.
Well this week is week 52, this is my one-year, Haliburton said in a video released on his YouTube channel on Thursday.
Man, I feel so good.
Im playing five-on-five, doing our workouts every day.
I can pretty much say Im back at this point.
I feel like Im in shape, but theres a difference between being in shape and being in Tyrese Haliburton shape.
I feel like theyre two different things.
I like to play fast so I have to get back to there, which will take some time.
Music to the ears of Pacers fans.
One of the NBAs best guards and most clutch players says hes back with plenty of runway ahead before he has to go full speed.
The bad news for the Pacers, however, is that the East became absolutely stacked over the offseason.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to Miami to team up with Bam Adebayo.
Jaylen Brown was dealt to the 76ers to form another contender around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
The Cavaliers made a run to the Eastern Conference finals last season and remain a strong suitor for LeBron James, who remains unsigned.
The Raptors are slated to add Kawhi Leonard pending a lingering league investigation.
The Pistons won 60 games last season as Cade Cunningham continues to rise.
Oh, and the Knicks had a dominant postseason run on the way to the franchises first title in 53 years.
With that long of a list, the biggest question for the Pacers is how realistic another run to the Finals is after a one-year hiatus.
Here are three things that must go Indianas way for the franchise to make some noise in a loaded field: Tyrese Haliburton doesnt miss a beat once hes back on the court The biggest swing factor in Indianas status as a potential Eastern Conference contender next season is Haliburton, without a doubt.
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard has tailored the roster around his star guard and has paid a hefty price to do so.
Haliburton has been one of the NBAs best facilitators since his arrival in Indiana and he packs a scoring punch, too.
As a Pacer, hes averaged 19.5 points and 10.1 assists per game as the best combo of a scorer and a passer other than Nikola Jokic and, more recently, Cunningham.
Haliburton shines when it matters most as Indianas run to the Finals included his heroics in Game 1 of both the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks and the NBA Finals against the Thunder.
His game-winners and clutch shots throughout the magical run made for some of the most memorable playoff moments in recent history.
He says hes back although theres some more conditioning work ahead.
However, 16 months is a long time to miss.
Hell be itching to get back on the court and the Pacers will likely cautiously roll him out, at least to start the season.
We saw how bad the team was without Haliburton, which makes any potential time missed a concern.
If hes fully ready to go for the first game of the season, though, the Pacers should make their mark even in a highly competitive Eastern Conference.
Ivica Zubacs play makes the traded first-round picks a faded memory Zubac played just five games for the Pacers after his arrival at the trade deadline.
The acquisition wasnt about last season as Indianas year was already long gone at that point.
We havent seen Zubac on a competitive Pacers roster yet, but he was one of the NBAs most impactful bigs for years before his time in L.A.
ended.
In 202425, he averaged a career-high 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in a season where he earned second-team All-Defense honors.
He averaged 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds a night with L.A.
last season.
Hell be an elite pick-and-roll partner for Haliburton, a force on the glass and a top-tier last line of defense for a team that sorely needs to improve on the defensive end.
Its a great fit on paper, but we need much more of a sample size of Zubac in Indiana before any conclusions are made on the trade.
The two first-round picks, and especially the 2026 pick, will follow Zubacs shadow throughout his time with Indiana.
L.A.
took Illinois guard Keaton Wagler with Indianas fifth pickthe Pacers would rather have Zubac with a star guard already in tow.
However, thats a premier pick to give up for any player, and if Wagler or any names that came off the board after him shine, it will be seen as a missed opportunity unless Zubac steps in as the Pacers missing piece alongside Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
The Knicks traded five first-round picks and a pick swap for Mikal Bridges two years ago, which was seen as an incredibly lofty price at the time.
Now that New York celebrated a title, though, the picks are all but forgotten.
Winning cures allnow, its the Pacers turn to try to rewrite history on their big deal.
Indianas supporting cast shines alongside Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac The core trio of Haliburton, Siakam and Zubac cant do it all.
Indianas Finals run was heavily aided by the elite play of its non-stars.
Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith shot the lights out over the postseason, Obi Toppin was solid off the bench and T.J.
McConnell took over in plenty of games.
All four remain on the roster, ready to get back to the playoffs after a dreadful year.
The Pacers signed Kelly Oubre Jr.
to a two-year deal in free agency and he slots into the starting lineup nicely next to Haliburton, Siakam, Zubac and Nembhard.
Oubre remains an extremely effective wing who can knock down shots when the opposing defense targets Haliburton and Siakam.
Jay Huff is an important depth piece for Indiana after a nice year as the teams starting center following Myles Turners exit.
In non-Zubac minutes, Huff will be able to protect the rim and he can even shoot it a little bit, too.
During the magical run to the Finals, Indianas depth coupled with Haliburton and Siakams excellence made it the best team in the East.
The Pacers remain one of the deepest teams in the NBA, they just need the supporting cast to keep showing up.
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Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA.
Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk.
Hes an alum of both Michigan State and St.
Bonaventure University, receiving a masters degree from the Bonnies sports journalism program.
Outside of work, hes a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player whos open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.