The Indiana Pacers will not have their best player for the 2025-26 season. Tyrese Haliburton will be an expensive cheerleader on the bench after tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
Of course, the Pacers are still going to try to win the championship without him. They brought everyone else back from last year’s team except for Myles Turner, who is now in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that there have been two massive changes to the starting lineup, one pundit has the Pacers surprisingly high on their preseason rankings list.<\/p>\n
More news: Pacers News: Insider Makes Brutal Prediction for Indiana This Season<\/a><\/p>\n According to Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today<\/a>, the Pacers sit 12th in his preseason rankings. That’s surprisingly high, considering where most pundits are putting them.<\/p>\n Indiana still has a lot of good players in the starting lineup, including Pascal Siakam, who was the only All-Star the team had a year ago. Siakam has made a couple of All-NBA teams, as well.<\/p>\n Not having Haliburton available is a massive loss, but Andrew Nembhard will now get an opportunity to grow in a way that he never would have with Haliburton playing next to him.<\/p>\n If he is able to take that challenge of running the offense, and still be the elite perimeter defender that he was during the playoffs, this might end but being a blessing in disguise for the Pacers.<\/p>\n Getting Nembhard more confident with the ball in his hands will provide the Pacers who dividends in the 2026-27 season when Haliburton does return.<\/p>\n