NBA Analyst Believes Pacers' Jarace Walker 'Is Breaking Out'

NBA analyst Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker could have a breakout 2026-27 season. 

Against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Pacers' preseason opener, Walker had seven points, five rebounds and 10 assists in 28 minutes. He shot 3-of-6 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the foul line. 

Walker appeared in 76 games for the Pacers last season. He averaged 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 41.9% from the field, 37.4% from beyond the arc and 74.9% from the free-throw line. 

Walker has been with Indiana since the 2023-24 season. He enters this season with career averages of 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. 

Walker will once again come off the bench for the Pacers this season, as head coach Rick Carlisle is widely expected to start Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac.

The Pacers made the NBA Finals in 2025. They were one game away from winning it all. They might have defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 had Halliburton not torn his Achilles.

Remember, Indiana was winning when Halliburton got hurt in OKC.

This entire season is about Halliburton's return. One of the top players in the NBA, Haliburton had an outstanding 2024-25 campaign for the Pacers. He averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game and made the All-NBA Third Team.

Haliburton is averaging 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in a Pacers uniform. He signed a five-year, $244 million extension with the team in July 2023.

The talented floor general will make $48,924,624 this season, $52,298,736 in 2027-28 and $55,672,848 in 2028-29, the final year of his deal.  

Haliburton has career averages of 17.5 points and 8.8 assists per game in the regular season and 17.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs. The All-Star put up seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with six assists, one steal and two blocks against Minnesota. 

Indiana will likely sign Haliburton to another extension next offseason if he stays healthy this upcoming season and plays like his old self. 

Nothing can be ruled out in today's NBA, especially after the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, but all signs point toward Haliburton spending the rest of his NBA career with the Pacers.

Haliburton made ESPN's top 20 NBA players list after missing all of last season. The guard is ranked No. 19. He's one spot ahead of Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and one spot behind Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James.