ESPN gave a disrespectful 2026-27 season projection to the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers are projected to be the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference next season by ESPN.
Indiana will go 44-38 and be in the NBA play-in tournament in 2026-27, per ESPN.
That's a pretty disrespectful projection by ESPN. After all, Tyrese Haliburton will play next season after missing last season, and the last time he played, Indiana was in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Haliburton had an incredible 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.
Indiana defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks to advance to the 2025 NBA Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Pacers in the NBA Finals in seven games. Haliburton, of course, tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7.
Indiana is widely expected to start Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac next season. The Pacers added veterans Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. this summer.
The Zubac trade came at a high cost, as the Pacers lost their first-round pick in the 2026 draft because of the deal.
The Pacers needed to land in the top four to keep their pick after trading it to the Clippers with protections for Zubac. The trade sent two of Indiana's first-round picks to the Los Angeles Clippers: one in 2029 and either this year's first if it fell outside of the top four or a 2031 unprotected first-rounder if it did not.
Because the Washington Wizards moved up in the lottery, Indiana landed fifth, so the pick went to the Clippers instead.
The Pacers could have drafted AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson. Instead, they have to pray that Zubac plays like an All-Star next season.
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 basketball world can't wait to see Hali play again.
The Pacers and Haliburton will likely be highly motivated to prove their critics wrong next season. Indiana opens the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
