The Indiana Pacers have been granted a $14.1 million disabled player exception, which officially confirms that star guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss all of next season. Teams cannot apply for a DPE unless that player is going to miss an entire year, which is the case for Haliburton and the Pacers.
During Indiana's Game 7 NBA Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in June, Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury in the first quarter of the game. Prior to his injury, the Wisconsin native had scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting in just seven minutes. He caught fire immediately, and it is fair to wonder how differently things would have turned out for the Pacers had Haliburton not gotten injured.
Regardless, the Pacers now must focus their attention on next season, where they will be without their star guard. Fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, it is going to be incredibly difficult for the team to make another deep playoff run next year. Even so, they have a unique opportunity ahead of them as they look to navigate through life without Haliburton. What they make of this opportunity could help re-establish themselves as title contenders sooner rather than later.
The Pacers will look completely different without Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton was the engine of the Pacers' offense and a big reason for their recent success. To say they will miss him next season is an understatement. However, they still have a very talented roster and can make noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference, even if they will look different along the way.
With Haliburton on the shelf, the Pacers are in line for what most expect to be a gap year. Instead of being legitimate title contenders, it is expected that Indiana will look at next season as an opportunity to showcase some of their younger players, experiment a bit with lineups, and see what sticks and what doesn't for when Haliburton returns. Essentially, winning next season would come second to finding out what will help them remain in the title picture for the long run.
In Haliburton's absence, the Pacers will most likely slide Andrew Nembhard to the point guard role full-time. Nembhard has run the point with the Pacers, but he was always secondary to the Iowa State alum. Now, the Canadian native will have the chance to run the show.
While Nembhard is capable of being a full-time point guard in Indiana, it is fair to assume the team's offense will look drastically different. Instead of running the same fast-paced offense they did with Haliburton, the Pacers are likely going to run a more traditional offense by relying on set plays in the half-court to play to Nembhard's strengths. This has the potential to work, but the Pacers will lose a big part of what makes their team special, at least for one season.
Even with their star guard out for a year, there is a lot to like about the Pacers' outlook. They have a bright future and should be able to re-establish themselves as title contenders in no time. Times are tough for Indiana right now, and there is no way to sugarcoat it. However, once Haliburton returns, the Pacers will have a chance to remind the rest of the league exactly how dominant they can be.