Arguably the biggest question for the Indiana Pacers entering the 2026-27 season was whether Tyrese Haliburton could return to his peak play after an injury as devastating as a torn Achilles in as unfortunate circumstances as a Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
In a best-case scenario, many thought Haliburton could return to All-Star caliber; his ability to be a playmaker and an intelligent player with a high basketball IQ would keep him great even if the athleticism waned or disappeared entirely.
Well, if anyone thought it would take time for Tyrese to hit his stride after spending nearly 400 days off the NBA court, they would be wrong. Even with the roster around him struggling to survive injuries, both small and big, Haliburton is maximizing himself and others as the Pacers' offense swells.
Who among us did not worry about what it would mean for this Pacers era if Haliburton was not 100%?
This is not the time to judge those of us (yes, I am not free of this either), but instead to celebrate just how quickly the Pacers superstar guard has gotten himself back to a high level and what it now means for an Indiana team that would love to challenge for another shot at the championship they so badly crave.
With all eyes on Haliburton, he has delivered, and now it is time for the team to follow suit and to embrace the identity of the comeback if they have not already.
Beyond the court, be the bounce back
Based on that last line, it sounds like this piece is saying that the Pacers should embrace overcoming late-game deficits to win games they have no business being in. Lucky for them, they already do that.
No, the Pacers would be better off identifying themselves through what it truly means to come back. It is less about the actual act of erasing a losing situation and more so about what it takes to go from failure back to zero.
It is easy to get bogged down in falling short or not being enough. That is where some of the Pacers' rotation already sits. They have draft busts, discarded top-10 picks, and players without the physical tools to ever seem like NBA talents. What those players need to do is to acknowledge who they are and to accept that there are going to be bad days. Those days will come and go, and so a stable sense of being is needed to be on this Pacers roster.
That means that when Aaron Nesmith, one of the best shooters in the league, shoots poorly, he goes back to bombing away the next game. Pascal Siakam will still drive to the rim even on nights he goes 5/9 from the line. Tyrese will return from a major injury and still attempt his jump passes.
That's what it means to be a Pacer now. And Haliburton is what it means to be resilient.
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