Tyrese Haliburton is back and ready to go.
The Indiana Pacers star insisted on Monday that he is completely healthy and won’t have any restrictions to start the season, his first after tearing his Achilles during the 2025 NBA Finals.
“I am healthy. I am 100%. There will be no restrictions,” Haliburton said, via ESPN. “That is not news. There is no source. I am the source. I’m good. I’m ready to go for the year.”
After trying to play through a calf strain during the 2025 postseason, Haliburton tore his right Achilles during Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder eventually won that contest, stopping the Pacers from claiming what would have been their first ever NBA title. Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game that season.
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As a result of the injury, the former Iowa State star ended up missing the entire 2025-26 season recovering. The Pacers struggled without him, and ended up with just a 19-63 record. That was the worst in franchise history. The team had a shot at a top-four pick in the NBA Draft earlier this summer, too, but fell out of the top of the draft lottery and ended up without a first-round pick after trading for Ivica Zubach and Kobe Brown.
But after taking the year, and battling through an extra shingles diagnosis, Haliburton is ready to pick up right where he left off.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am right now,” Haliburton said. “I’m a big believer in my work. I’ve put in an unbelievable amount of time to get to where I am today, so all my belief comes from that.”
Though Haliburton is ready to go, head coach Rick Carlisle isn’t quite on the same page.
“At this point, it really appears that he has made a great recovery and a great return to play,” Carlisle said. “Do not anticipate a lot of limitations, but we will make sure that we go at the correct pace.”
The Pacers will open the regular season on Oct. 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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