Tyrese Haliburton Injury Timeline: Can Pacers Star Return During 2025–26 Nba Season?

Tyrese Haliburton went down pinch a devastating wounded successful Game 7 of nan NBA Finals past June, nan Pacers' hopes astatine a title each but dashed arsenic a result. In nan aftermath, nan Thunder would hoist nan trophy, and nan Pacers learned Haliburton's fate: a torn Achilles tendon.

Haliburton joins 2 different high-profile players—Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard—who suffered nan wounded precocious past season.

Unfortunately, nan likelihood that Haliburton will beryllium capable to get backmost connected nan tribunal this play is adjacent zero. The Pacers person held a difficult statement successful their explanation of his timeline, pinch squad president Kevin Pritchard relaying to nan media that Haliburton will miss nan full season.

"Don’t get immoderate hopes up that he will play,” Pritchard said successful July.

It makes sense. While Tatum has flirted ever truthful somewhat pinch nan thought of making a comeback this year, moreover his return is considered highly unlikely, and his betterment began a period earlier Haliburton's. Haliburton's wounded occurring successful nan past imaginable crippled of nan play makes for nan longest timeline imaginable comparative to nan 2025–26 season.

The extremity is for Haliburton to get backmost successful clip for nan commencement of nan 2026–27 season. That should beryllium a very manageable timeline, pinch astir Achilles tears requiring a afloat twelvemonth to get backmost to afloat health.

Pacers that will request to measurement up for Pacers' playoff hopes to stay alive

While communal reasoning mightiness beryllium that nan Pacers should dishonesty down, retool, and see this a twelvemonth disconnected from competing for a playoff spot—with nan evident replacement being a changeable astatine nan draught lottery—you'd beryllium mistaken.

It's simply not really nan Pacers do business. Since nan '99–00 season, Indy has missed nan postseason conscionable 8 times. They've played successful nan sixth-most postseason games successful that clip span. Even amid a three-year hiatus from qualifying for nan playoffs from 2021 to '23, location were efforts to stay competitive, including additions for illustration Malcolm Brogdon (2019, waste and acquisition sending draught picks out), Caris LeVert ('21, waste and acquisition sending Victor Oladipo out), and Buddy Hield (as portion of nan waste and acquisition that brought Haliburton to nan franchise) astir nan rookies nan Pacers added each year.

The Pacers, moreover erstwhile refocusing, typically make adjustments that support their chances of competing high. Especially nether Kevin Pritchard, that has been nan case.

The players look bought into that arsenic well.

"But I deliberation nan point we request to attraction connected is that we've established a culture, a style of play—and Rick has done a awesome occupation of that—and nan modular is nan standard. We evidently person to do things a small otherwise without an All-Star caliber constituent guard, but it's conscionable everyone stepping up successful a different role. We're not gonna alteration really we play," Pacers defender T.J. McConnell said connected media time starring up to nan season.

So, who will transportation nan proverbial torch this play pinch Haliburton sidelined nan full year?

Pascal Siakam will beryllium nan go-to prima and scorer, astir likely. He won a title pinch nan Raptors and was integral to Indy's Finals run.

With Myles Turner leaving via free agency, Isiah Jackson is being thrust into a larger domiciled arsenic nan imaginable starting center, but nan position appears to beryllium Indy's top root of diminution from past twelvemonth extracurricular of Haliburton's role. James Wiseman remains an intriguing portion of nan roster that, if Indy tin negociate to unlock, would do plentifulness for their chances of staying competitive. He tore his Achilles successful his first crippled pinch nan Pacers past year. He hasn't lived up to his pre-draft billing, mostly because of injuries.

McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard each return to nan fold this twelvemonth aft being awesome contributors past season.

Johnny Furphy, an early second-round prime successful 2024, besides figures to person an opportunity for a overmuch expanded domiciled aft splitting clip successful nan G League and NBA past year.

It'll beryllium a reliable twelvemonth to beryllium without their game-changing talent successful Haliburton, but there's a world wherever Indiana tin still beryllium a postseason threat successful nan East.

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