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Indiana Pacers
Aug 24, 2025 4:26 PM EDT
As the NBA grapples with stars recovering from Achilles injuries sustained in the playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum seem to have different plans.
Tatum, it seems, will return the fastest, and the Boston Celtics have not ruled out a return next season. The Indiana Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers, meanwhile, seem to be more conservative.
Haliburton is only 25 years old, and while an Achilles tear is not a career-ending injury, it could spell some doom if he were to rush back, so he’s not complaining about the upcoming season being a lost one.
“I obviously want to be good tomorrow, but I know it takes time,” Haliburton said to Reuters. “The team has already ruled me out for the year, so I’m in no rush. It’s just about getting 100 percent, not necessarily as fast as I can, but getting 100 percent is important. I don’t want to come back and be 85, 90 percent. I want to be able to come back at 100, so I’m just taking my time through that.”
Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles in 2013 and returned in only eight months, although he played in only six seasons the following year, and that injury marked the abrupt end to his peak, so Haliburton taking his time, especially at his younger age with a full career ahead of him, should make fans breathe easy.
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Jonah Kubicek