Tyrese Haliburton returns for preseason debut

This wasn’t Haliburton’s first game of the preseason, but the last time he played in a game that counted, it was in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City. Back in the same place he tore his Achilles, Haliburton was able to get off to a hot start, just like he did in Game 7. He scored all 24 of his points in the first half before sitting the entirety of the second half. He appears ready to return to being a fantasy superstar and should be one of the best picks in the second round.

Haliburton, who ruptured his Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, did not play at all last season. In addition to recovering from that injury, he had to deal with a case of shingles in February. The good news for the Pacers is that their star point guard is back to full strength and should be good to go for the start of next season. “I feel like I’m operating like I’m a healthy NBA player for the first time in a long time, which is exciting,” Haliburton said on Saturday. “The fact that I’m able to come here without having to answer questions from anybody in our organization about my health, that I’m just able to jump in and do some things with the kids, that means the world to me. It’s something I don’t take for granted after the last 12 months.” While he may need some time to shake off the rust, a healthy Haliburton is one of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball.

Haliburton, who is out for the entire 2025-26 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon during Game 7 of last June’s NBA Finals, recently contracted shingles. His time away from the team won’t affect fantasy basketball, but young players like guard Kam Jones won’t be able to benefit from Haliburton’s in-person tutelage for the time being.

Siakam looked sharp during his 24 minutes of game action on Monday. He displayed his smooth midrange jump shot and showed in this game that his career-best three-point shooting season in 2024-25 was not a fluke. The veteran forward has played well in his two preseason appearances and seems ready to potentially take on a bigger workload on the offensive end as Tyrese Haliburton recovers from an Achilles injury. A stellar fantasy basketball season could be on the horizon for Siakam.

Mathurin logged his most productive outing of the preseason thus far, eclipsing the 30-point mark on efficient shooting against the Spurs. The fourth-year guard did most of his damage in the first half, where he scored 27 points on 9-of-9 shooting, including four three-pointers. Mathurin, a part-time starter last season, should have an opportunity to see more production and opportunities in Tyrese Haliburton’s absence (leg). He’s likely to begin the season in the starting unit.

As feared, Haliburton’s injury is severe, and it will likely cost him all of next season. It’s a brutal development for the emerging superstar, especially after the magical playoff run he led. In Hali’s absence, T.J. McConnell could see a big uptick in playing time and usage, while Ben Sheppard could see more time off the bench, and Andrew Nembhard could take on more responsibility as a facilitator.

Haliburton slipped on the court and appeared to sustain a serious injury to his lower right leg. He went down immediately and began banging the court in anguish. It was a near carbon copy of the Achilles injury suffered earlier this postseason by Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum. The 25-year-old point guard was unable to put any weight on his leg while being helped to the locker room and we don’t need official confirmation to know that his night is over. Haliburton was off to his best first quarter of the Finals, nailing three of four triples in just seven minutes. In his stead, expect big minutes from T.J. McConnell and additional playing time for the likes of Ben Sheppard and Obi Toppin. In the longterm, if the injury is indeed an Achilles, Hali could be forced to miss most, if not all, of next season.

Haliburton played through the injury in Indiana’s decisive Game 6 victory, and there was never much of a doubt that he’d gut it out to play in the winner-take-all Game 7.

While Haliburton disclosed Saturday afternoon that he’s still dealing with soreness and stiffness in his strained right calf, he said that he’ll be good to go for Sunday’s series decider. The Pacers have officially listed the point guard as questionable, but the sporting world expects to see him on the court. With Haliburton being at less than full strength, the Pacers will likely need another standout performance from backup point guard T.J. McConnell if they’re to win their first NBA title.

“Good thing I only had to play like 23 minutes,” Haliburton said. “I’ve been able to get even more treatment and do more things. Just trying to take care of it the best I can.” This will be the first Game 7 in the Finals since 2016, so there’s no way Haliburton sits out. They’ll continue to manage his injury, and if it’s bothering him to the point that he isn’t helping the team by being out there, they may choose to sit him. However, that wasn’t the case in Game 6, and if it means winning a championship, they will likely have no issues pushing him way past 23 minutes.