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Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers has been ruled out for the entire 2025-26 NBA season.
The 2025-26 NBA season has been a forgettable one for Indiana Pacers fans.
After making it all the way to the NBA Finals last season, the Pacers took a major step back this year by finishing second-to-last in the Eastern Conference standings.
Tyrese Haliburton’s absence played a big part in Indiana’s struggles, as Haliburton missed the entire season after suffering a torn Achilles against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals in June. But Haliburton doesn’t want Pacers fans to get used to the season ending in April.
Tyrese Haliburton Doesn’t Want Pacers Fans to Get Used to the Season Ending Early
“Don’t get used to the Pacers not playing in April, May and June.”
Tyrese Haliburton to Pacers fans before their last game of the season.
Haliburton addressed the crowd in Indiana ahead of the Pacers’ season finale against the Detroit Pistons, and he made sure to share an optimistic message regarding the franchise’s future.
“We’ve been battling injuries. It’s been a tough year, but we appreciate you guys for showing up, showing love every game. You guys are the best fans in the world. We appreciate you guys. And don’t get used to the Pacers not playing in April, May and June.”
After such a slog of a season, it was nice of Haliburton to give Pacers fans a piece of positivity to take into the offseason.
Tyrese Haliburton Moving in the Right Direction in Recovery Process
This is the second time this week that Haliburton has provided fans in Indiana with some optimism. Earlier this week, Haliburton shared a major milestone in his Achilles recovery on social media, as he revealed that he played five-on-five for the first time since last June.
Played 5 on 5 today for first time since June🙏🏽🙏🏽
That tells you that Haliburton is clearly moving in the right direction and should absolutely be ready for the start of next season for Indiana, barring any unfortunate setbacks.
It wasn’t just Haliburton either. The Pacers had several other key contributors miss substantial time over the course of the campaign. Pascal Siakam missed 20 games for Indiana, Andrew Nembhard missed 25 games and Obi Toppin missed nearly 60 games. It would be difficult for any team to overcome that many absences.
Those guys are all under contract and will be back in Indiana next season, so as long as they have health on their side, there’s no reason to think that the Pacers couldn’t quickly jump back into the contender conversation in the Eastern Conference.
Michael Kaskey-Blomain Michael Kaskey-Blomain is an experienced sports media member covering the NBA and NFL for Heavy. He has been in the industry for well over a decade with previous stops including the Philadelphia Inquirer and CBS Sports. Michael also serves as a Philadelphia 76ers reporter and insider for ESPN 97.3 and an NBA and NFL contributor for The Sporting News. More about Michael Kaskey-Blomain
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