Nineteen wins. The Pacers spent the whole summer trying to get away from that number. On Monday at Ascension St. Vincent Center, they finally got to talk about something else.
Media day doesn't decide a season, but it does set the frame. This one was framed by a player who hasn't appeared in a meaningful game since Game 7 of the 2025 Finals.
"I am healthy. I'm 100%. No restrictions. That is not news. There's no source. I am the source," Tyrese Haliburton said.
Training camp opens tomorrow. Here's what the Pacers are carrying into it.
Haliburton's Health
Haliburton's message hasn't changed since August, and the front office is saying the same thing. Chad Buchanan told reporters last Thursday that Haliburton would be a full go with no restrictions from the start, per Tony East of Forbes.
Rick Carlisle hedged a little more, which is his job. "I can't tell you exactly what the work load is going to be," he said Monday. "I do not anticipate a lot of limitations, but we'll make sure we go at the correct pace." He also named the hierarchy plainly: "He and Pascal are our two main guys."
Haliburton says he's stronger than before the injury, and that he spent much of last season sitting between coaches on the bench. The first public test is October 7 against Minnesota at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, his college floor. Scott Agness counted it out: 472 days between Pacers games.
"No restrictions" is not the same as "same player on day one." Conditioning, timing, and trusting the leg in traffic come back on their own schedule, and preseason won't tell us much about any of them. The real question is what he looks like on the second night of a back-to-back in November.
Zubac, Finally, with the Starting Five
Ivica Zubac has been a Pacer since the February deadline and has played five games in blue and gold. He has never shared the floor with Haliburton. The players-only minicamp in Nashville this month was the first time he played with some of his new teammates at all, per East.
Pascal Siakam liked what he saw. "Massive human being," Siakam said of Zubac. "Just a phenomenal basketball player."
Behind Zubac, Buchanan listed Jay Huff, Obi Toppin at the five, and Larry Nance Jr. as added depth. Then he added one name nobody expected: "Coach even flirts with Jalen Slawson a little there at the five at times too." Slawson and Kobe Brown are both on two-way deals, and Ted Wu said he wouldn't be surprised to see both contributing early.
A Haliburton–Zubac pick-and-roll is the most important new thing on this roster. It's also something nobody has seen yet.
Who's new
- Kelly Oubre Jr.: two years, $16.5 million, fully guaranteed. He's the most significant outside addition.
- Larry Nance Jr.: a one-year deal to add frontcourt depth.
- Braden Smith: a rookie guard on a two-way contract.
- James Johnson: back for camp on an Exhibit 9 deal. Asked why, Buchanan said, "We're all afraid to not bring him back." Johnson will be waived before the opener because the Pacers don't have room under the first apron to keep him. The team gains enough room to sign a veteran minimum on November 5. Buchanan wouldn't commit to bringing Johnson back then.
The patience clause
The front office is lowering expectations for the first month, and they're open about it.
"You hope by 25, 30 games in, you start to see some signs of whether it's clicking or it's not," Buchanan said. He added that the team won't make a judgment after a slow first 10 games.
As we all know from the finals run, it's all about peaking at the right time.
The Definition of Success
Haliburton didn't leave room for interpretation. "The year is successful if we win a championship," he said Monday. He also told reporters that the team's internal expectations have always been higher than what people outside predict.
That's what the franchise player should say after a year spent watching. You guys can tell me what you would consider a successful season in the comments.
If you want to hear everything from the horses' mouths, you can watch the interview below.
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