Tyrese Haliburton has 23 points in first game back

Sunday’s game is the first of two in as many days for the Pacers, who visit the Bucks on Monday. After missing so much time following his Achilles rupture during the 2025 NBA Finals, Haliburton may not be at a point where the Pacers feel comfortable with him playing back-to-backs. Since he’s available on Sunday, Haliburton may not play in Indiana’s first game of Week 2.

You’d want Haliburton to be more aggressive, especially in games where they can’t score, but this is part of the deal with Haliburton. He’s not the type of person that will take a bunch of shots and will have games where he doesn’t score much. The reason why Haliburton is a good fantasy player is not the scoring. He got the peripheral stats in this game which is good to see.

Jarace Walker will take Kelly Oubre’s spot in the starting lineup after he started the first game. The Pacers also have Aaron Nesmith available to play tonight. It’s possible that Rick Carlisle is trying to match the size of the Mavericks by putting Walker in to start.

Kelly Oubre is getting the start with Aaron Nesmith out with a hamstring strain. Oubre can be used as a streamer in redraft leagues for today.

Haliburton has looked incredibly sharp in the Pacers’ final two preseason games, which is great news for the team and for fantasy managers hoping to roster him. He played 20 minutes in the first half of Friday’s exhibition, led the Pacers in shot attempts and dished out six assists. Haliburton has delivered first-round fantasy value before, and his preseason finish suggests the star point guard is ready for a full workload after missing all of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

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 looked understandably rusty from a shooting standpoint, going just 1-of-3 from three-point range, in his first game action since tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against Oklahoma City. It’s probably going to take him some time to return to form after missing all of last season. This was his first live action in a game setting in nearly 500 days. Still, he showcased his usual top-notch passing and looked just fine from a physical standpoint while changing direction and driving to the basket on a couple occasions. The 26-year-old remains one of the most dynamic playmakers in the game and should be a first-round selection in all fantasy drafts this fall.

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.