Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton fires back at weak Indiana projections for return season from Achilles injury

The Indiana Pacers find themselves in familiar territory as far as the projections for the 2026-27 season are concerned. Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals , which played a major role in Indiana finishing 19-63 in the regular season last campaign. Now, however, with Haliburton once again fit and playing his first preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Pacers are largely projected to be dark-horse contenders for the playoffs next season, with ESPN’s Basketball Power Index predicting 42 wins and a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference.