Last season was a magical and special one for Tyrese Haliburton, mostly because of the playoff run he and the Indiana Pacers had.
Indiana entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed and still made it to the NBA Finals, and it was doubted every step of the way.
Many predicted the Pacers would lose to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. That didn't happen. It was a consensus that they wouldn't beat the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, but they could maybe steal a game. They sent them packing early. And a lot of people thought the New York Knicks would exact their revenge from the year before in the conference finals, but that didn't happen either.
And if it weren't for Haliburton suffering an Achilles tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, he and the Pacers maybe defy all odds and eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder (who ended the season with the best record in the league and had a historic defense). But unfortunately for the Pacers, their magical story had a not-so-magical ending.
Regardless, fans, players, and coaches all around the league took notice of what Haliburton was doing with the Pacers. Even though it didn't end the way he wanted it to, the Wisconsin native still made an impact on the league. And basketball legend LeBron James (who knows a thing or two about leaving his mark on the game) said the exact same thing during a recent episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast.
"Absolutely. That was a big-time run there," James said about the Pacers' 2025 playoff run. "And like you mentioned, legacy and all that, and changing the narrative of you or whatever the case may be with winning it. I think you did that even with y'all losing, too."
"I think the conversation coming out of that was, 'Man, this guy gave everything, his whole body, everything. No matter how we felt coming into Game 6. No matter how we felt coming into Game 5. What he did for Game 7, putting his body on the line to go through that moment at that time.' Bro, everything that you would have got with winning it, you got with losing. ... The only thing you didn't get is the ring."
Tyrese Haliburton's future with the Pacers is bright
Losing in the NBA Finals is never fun, especially how it went down for the Pacers. But at the very least, their future is incredibly bright, and Haliburton is a big reason for that.
Indiana developed a reputation for being resilient and having an often-imitated, never-duplicated offense that launched it into title contention. And once Haliburton comes back, this exact brand of basketball should as well.
The Pacers have what it takes to make it back to the NBA Finals and win the whole thing as soon as next season. They have an elite front office and coaching staff, an incredibly talented roster, and are in a wide-open Eastern Conference. And with the recent addition of Ivica Zubac, they are going to be a very well-rounded team that can impact the game in every area.
As it stands, the future is bright for Haliburton and the Pacers. And they should have an opportunity to finish what they started in 2025, and they could take advantage of that as soon as next season.