Tyrese Haliburton Reveals Surprising Change He Made After ‘Jittery Mess’ Return

Before the Indiana Pacers' preseason opener at Iowa State on Oct. 7, Tyrese Haliburton had his usual pregame Fast Twitch. It was the last one he drank all preseason, he said Tuesday.

The drink is made by Gatorade, and each 12-ounce bottle has 200 milligrams of caffeine in it. That is about double the caffeine in a 12-ounce can of Red Bull. Gatorade's first caffeinated drink went on shelves nationally in 2023.

That night at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, was Haliburton's first game in 472 days. He tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals and missed all of last season.

In 16 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves, all in the first half, Haliburton scored 7 points on 3-of-8 shooting with 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Indiana won 123-112.

Afterward, Haliburton said he felt like he was playing too fast in his return, ESPN reported.

"I don't feel that way," Haliburton said. "You guys have watched the last couple preseason games. I'm just fine. I feel like I'm in a good place from a basketball standpoint. I feel like I'll continue to be there."

"I think that first game, there was a lot going on, being back in Iowa State," Haliburton continued. "I typically have been a guy who takes, like, it's not Red Bull, it's like Fast Twitch before the game to pick me up. I did not need that game one, and I took it, and I was a jittery mess. So I think we're done with that for a little bit, and I've stopped taking it [for] the rest of the preseason. I think it's worked out fine, so we'll stop taking that for a little bit, and I think I'll be fine."

Haliburton played at Iowa State from 2018 to 2020. The game in Ames had first been scheduled for the 2025 preseason and was pushed back a year because of his injury.

He met his wife, Jade, at Iowa State and proposed to her on its court. Haliburton bought tickets for the student section, and the university held a lottery for people to attend. It was the fourth NBA exhibition played at Hilton Coliseum and the first there since 2018.

He tweaked his right ankle in that opener and missed Atlanta's visit on Oct. 10. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle called it a mild tweak and said the MRI looked good.

Three days later at Paycom Center, where he was hurt in the Finals, Haliburton scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He went 4-of-6 from 3-point range in a 114-112 overtime loss to Oklahoma City.

He scored 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the Oct. 16 finale against the Milwaukee Bucks and added 3 rebounds and 6 assists in a little over 20 minutes. The starters did not play after halftime, and Milwaukee came back to win 128-127 in overtime, leaving Indiana 1-3 in the preseason.

Year seven starts Wednesday, and five of Haliburton's seven seasons have come with Indiana. The first began in Sacramento, where the Kings drafted him 12th overall in 2020 and he finished third in the 2021 Rookie of the Year race.

The night before a big game is still a hard one for Haliburton to sleep through.

"I know that first game I was so worried," Haliburton explained. "I was so nervous all day. I was like sweating bullets. I don't think, I think that's kind of gone. More so just excited to be back on the floor."

"Hearing you say year seven is crazy," Haliburton continued. "Somebody asked me what year this was for me the other day, and I thought I said six because I don't remember last year counting as my sixth year. It's crazy how fast time flies, but just enjoying every moment of it. That's the fun part about it."

"Any time it's like the first game of the year, a big game, playoffs, anything like that, it's like a kid on Christmas, right?" Haliburton added. "You're just excited. It's hard to sleep, all those things. So that will definitely [ring] true, I think, this evening and as we get into the season. But I'm just excited to be back on the floor."

The Pacers open against the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday in New Orleans.

Two nights later, Haliburton gets his first regular-season game back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, against the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m. ET.