One NBA analyst thinks that Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is the key to Tyrese Haliburton's return this year.
The Indiana Pacers understand that the 2025-26 season was a wash, mainly due to them not having star guard Tyrese Haliburton for the year.
Haliburton has been rehabbing a torn Achilles, forcing him to sit out for the entire season last year. The last time that Haliburton was on the court was in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and the guard has been itching to get back ever since.
Without Haliburton on the floor, the Pacers stumbled last year, winning just 19 games. And to make matters worse for Indiana, they traded away their first-round draft pick.
But entering this coming season, Indiana is ready to reestablish itself as a top team in the Eastern Conference. And with Haliburton expected back, the Pacers feel good about where they stand entering the season.
However, the Pacers could slow play Haliburton's return, allowing him ample time to get back into the flow of the game. Coming off an injury like this isn't easy, and the last thing that the team wants is for Haliburton to go down again.
NBA analyst Chris Mannix believes that Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle will be the key to making sure that Haliburton's return goes to plan. Carlisle will have to navigate how to use the star guard as he tries to ramp himself back up after the brutal injury.
Carlisle has been around the game for a long time, and he understands the situation that both Haliburton and the team are in this year. While the Pacers head coach wants to have his star out on the floor, understanding that he hasn't played at this level in some time will be key.
The Pacers won't force Haliburton to play heavy minutes right away, giving him the opportunity to ease back into everything. But once the star guard feels more comfortable in the system, Indiana could quickly be off and running again.
Indiana was one of the better teams in the NBA before Haliburton went down with his injury, mainly due to his leadership both on and off the court. Haliburton helped guide this team, leading them to having one of the more explosive offenses in the league.
It was clear that without his services, the Pacers couldn't duplicate anything from the season before. But with the star guard now healthy and ready to go, nobody should be sleeping on Indiana heading into the upcoming NBA season.
