The Indiana Pacers got a top-15 NBA power ranking with Tyrese Haliburton's return
The Indiana Pacers are ranked a top-15 NBA team in The Athletic's power rankings.
Tyrese Haliburton will play next season after missing last season, so the Pacers will be back in the playoffs.
Indiana made two solid moves in free agency this summer, adding Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. this offseason in free agency. The team's big move happened last season when they acquired Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Without Haliburton, the Pacers struggled immensely last season. They won only 19 games.
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 Knicks to advance to the 2025 NBA Finals. The Thunder defeated the Pacers in the NBA Finals in seven games. Haliburton, of course, tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7.
The basketball world can't wait to see Haliburton back on the court. We are almost there.
Indiana is widely expected to start Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Zubac next season.
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.
