Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts during a game. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
As a team, the Indiana Pacers will have a lot to prove during the 2026-27 NBA season.
The same could be said for Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who will be returning to game action for Indiana after missing the entirety of the ’25-26 season due to a torn Achilles.
Tyrese Haliburton Named Indiana Pacers Player With Most to Prove Next Season
2025 NBA Finals - Game Seven
2025 NBA Finals - Game Seven
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – JUNE 22: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers warms up before playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 22, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report recently named the one player on every team in the league with the most to prove next season, and Haliburton was the pick for Indiana.
Coming off of a major injury, Haliburton will have to prove that he’s still the same player that he was before the injury. Indiana’s future on a team largely hinges on his ability to do so.
“You wouldn’t think a two-time All-NBA superstar who had already led his team to within a single win of a championship is all done proving himself, but Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles changed everything. His 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. If not though, there could be some major issues in Indiana.
This story will be updated.
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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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