The Indiana Pacers are being a little disrespected by one NBA analyst heading into the new season.
The Indiana Pacers should have star guard Tyrese Haliburton back on the court this season, following him rehabbing a torn Achilles all of last year.
Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 NBA season, leading to the Pacers winning just 19 games. Indiana looked like a shell of themselves without Haliburton, but with him now back and ready to go, the Pacers could get back to being their normal selves.
The Pacers were one of the best teams in the NBA when Haliburton was healthy, and the team came within one game of winning the title. Losing the star for the entire season was tough, but Indiana is being viewed as a threat once again in the Eastern Conference.
Haliburton has been chomping at the bit to get back on the floor, looking to reestablish himself as a top player in the game. The Pacers guard recently weighed in on the results from last season, including the rival New York Knicks winning the title.
The star guard said he almost turned the TV off when watching the Knicks hold up the trophy, but instead, he decided to be happy for the players. The Pacers and Knicks rivalry goes back decades, with Haliburton seeing firsthand how intense it can be.
Responding to comments from Haliburton about the Knicks, ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst said that he doesn't believe that New York is worried about the Pacers.
“Honestly, I think from the Knicks perspective, they’ve got bigger fish to fry than the Pacers,” Windhorst said.
The East is expected to be very tough again this season, with multiple teams getting even better over the offseason. While Windhorst may not have planned on disrespecting the Pacers, saying this does hint that Indiana may not be viewed as a top team.
Teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and others may be viewed higher than the Pacers until Indiana proves themselves again. But the Pacers were the last team to knock the Knicks out of the playoffs, when Haliburton was on the court in the 2025 playoffs.
Assuming that Haliburton is healthy, the Pacers should be just fine, and they will have a say in how the East shakes out this season. Haliburton gives Indiana a legitimate star that they were missing a year ago, and the rest of the roster is very complementary to his skill set.
Overall, the 2026-27 NBA season should be a much stronger one for the Pacers, and if all goes to plan, Indiana could be vying for a title again this year.
