Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has shared a new update about his health status.
The Indiana Pacers struggled mightily throughout the course of the 2025-26 NBA season. When all was said and done, they only mustered up a 19-63 record.
Of course, the struggles were largely due to Tyrese Haliburton missing the entire year due to the torn Achilles he suffered during Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season.
Haliburton was ruled out for the entire season before the year even began. There was no hope of a return during the year like the Boston Celtics had with Jayson Tatum.
No team can be blamed for struggling after losing its franchise player.
With that being said, Haliburton spoke out recently and offered a new update about his health. He's getting closer to making a full return from the Achilles injury.
"I was starting to play 5-on-5 and then got shingles and that kinda stopped things for like three weeks," Haliburton said. "That kinda halted things for a little bit but I'm getting back there now. I just started playing 5-on-5 as the summer's going on. We've got a little team mini-camp here in a couple weeks. I'll be full-go for that. It sucked for a little bit, but I'm good now."
That is great news for Haliburton. He is clearly closing in on being full-go on the court. This update should have him ready to go for opening night next season.
In addition to the above update, Haliburton also shared where he can tell he's behind.
"Defensively I can tell I'm a step behind," Haliburton said. "I'm not a great defender already. But I'm playing against interns and I'm like, 'Why is this guy... he's frying me a little bit here.' It's just the process of planting and turning, those things. Offensively, when I'm in control of my movements, I feel great. Defensively, when I'm reacting to others, that's where it's going to get better as time moves on."
Next season, the Pacers will look a bit different around Haliburton. They will have new center Ivica Zubac, who was acquired at the NBA trade deadline from the Los Angeles Clippers. Indiana could also have a top-four pick, depending on how Sunday's draft lottery shakes out.
While the 2025-26 NBA season was rough to watch, the Pacers look to be on pace to be back in title contention next year. Fans can't wait to see Haliburton back on the court.