Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) is introduced before the game wearing his old number (22) from his time on the Iowa State Cyclones before their game with the Minnesota Timberwolves at James H. Hilton Coliseum.
Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Following a brutally unlucky 2025, the Indiana Pacers are just trying to stay healthy and regain their rhythm this preseason. Well, that plan is already going kablooey. Tyrese Haliburton, who is returning from a torn Achilles tendon, is sidelined for Saturday's matchup versus the Atlanta Hawks due to what head coach Rick Carlisle described as a “mild tweak of his right ankle,” per NBA correspondent Marc Stein.
This past Wednesday, a bigger and determined Haliburton competed for the first time since devastatingly going down in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He totaled seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with six assists, two steals and one block against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Whenever a player comes back from a grueling recovery, there is always concern of how the body will respond. It appears that Haliburton's is not cooperating as hoped.
The Pacers are obviously not going to take any chances with their franchise centerpiece. They begin regular season play on Oct. 21 versus the New Orleans Pelicans, and until that day arrives, and even after that, Indiana will exercise caution. Haliburton is certainly tired of missing games and visiting the trainers' room, but he recognizes the team's main objective.
The supremely clutch point guard and the rest of the squad patiently suffered through a miserable 2025-26 campaign, confident that they would have a chance to finish what they started the following season. Indy desperately hopes that its wait is nearly over.
The next opportunity for Tyrese Haliburton to suit up will come Tuesday in the Paycom Center, the very arena where he first faced the biggest challenge of his NBA career.