The playoffs are where stars rise and weaknesses get exposed. For every team sent packing, we’ve analyzed the standout players primed for growth and a major question mark that could impact the team’s fantasy value ahead of the 2025-26 season. Now, we arrive at the Eastern Conference champs, the Indiana Pacers …<\/p>\n
The Indiana Pacers’ improbable, epic postseason run came to a close on Sunday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking Game 7<\/a> and winning the first NBA championship in their franchise\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Pacers were unbelievable, a fourth-seed that had countless unforgettable moments, paired with an insatiable resilience that saw them produce one of the most exciting playoffs ever. The Pacers defied expectations, going to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 and finishing one win shy of hoisting the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy.<\/p>\n The season was a success, and while they\u2019re the last loser of the postseason, Indy will also have to endure the next season without its star point guard.<\/p>\n All the best to Tyrese Haliburton<\/p>\n Haliburton was cooking seven minutes into the first quarter of Game 7 before the basketball gods intervened, ruining the game, the series and arguably next season for the Pacers. Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles injury<\/a>, which will likely keep him out for the entire 2025-26 season. It\u2019s a brutal blow for fans and fantasy basketball managers, as we\u2019ve lost three potential first-round talents (Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and now Haliburton) all to Achilles tears just in this postseason.<\/p>\n Haliburton blossomed into a superstar during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, so to see him fall victim to a serious injury with a championship in reach was devastating. The Pacers have no shortage of roster depth, but not having their two-time All-Star in the lineup heading into next season is a massive gut punch.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for the Pacers<\/p>\n