The Pacers have been without Haliburton since he strained his hamstring during an October 26 game against the Bucks. While Carlisle said the Pacers’ point guard is improving, he told the assembled media to check back in another 10 days or so. Braden Smith has moved into the starting point guard role but has not played enough to merit being streamed in most redraft leagues.
Haliburton is still dealing with a mild left hamstring strain. According to Carlisle, he’s making progress, though his timetable is uncertain. Haliburton’s original timetable of two weeks was set on October 28, which was only 10 days ago. There should be a more informative update on the 26-year-old guard’s health sometime next week.
Carlisle relayed to reporters that Haliburton is dealing with a mild left hamstring strain. He said Haliburton is considered week-to-week, though he won’t play for the next two weeks before being re-evaluated. It’s not great news for Haliburton, but it certainly could’ve been worse. Andrew Nembhard will likely see the majority of starts at point guard while Haliburton is sidelined.
Haliburton was already questionable for Wednesday’s game, but he won’t be available for it. There is no clarity to this timeline currently, so hopefully head coach Rick Carlisle will provide more either before or after their game against the 76ers. Andrew Nembhard (neck) is questionable, and T.J. McConnell (hamstring) hasn’t played this season. Nembhard will likely be the starting point guard until Haliburton returns, with Quenton Jackson as the next man up. Rookie Braden Smith could also be part of the rotation if Indiana ends up truly shorthanded.
Haliburton’s left hamstring appeared to be giving him trouble during the second half of Monday’s loss to the Bucks, and he’s now on the injury report due to left hamstring tightness. Who would benefit if he sits depends on Andrew Nembhard’s availability (neck), as he is also questionable. Quenton Jackson’s role in the rotation would become more important if Haliburton can’t play.
Haliburton and the Pacers didn’t get the win on Monday, but his being on the floor was a big deal. The Pacers’ point guard played both games of the team’s road back-to-back, logging 35 minutes against the Bucks. Haliburton appeared to get his upper left leg wrapped up during a stint on the bench early in the fourth quarter, but he returned a few minutes later and finished the game.
Haliburton and the Pacers bounced back from Friday’s loss to the Mavericks, taking care of the Nets in their Week 1 finale. The Pacers’ point guard recorded his second 20-point double-double in three games and hit four three-pointers. While injury management may be a concern, Haliburton said in his postgame interview that he expects to play on Monday against the Bucks. If he’s overruled and doesn’t play, that would raise Andrew Nembhard’s (14/1/3/1 with four three-pointers) ceiling.
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.
Haliburton was overcome with emotion in the postgame interview after he had 23 points and the Pacers won the first game he’s played since he suffered a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. It was certainly a meaningful milestone for the 26-year-old point guard, who was also diagnosed with shingles while recovering from his torn Achilles. Haliburton was sharp in the preseason and in the regular season opener he looked ready to deliver first-round fantasy value once again.
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.
Source: Tony EastNBC Sports / Rotoworld·Read update →
As feared, Haliburton’s injury is severe, and it will likely cost him all of next season. It’s a brutal development for the emerging superstar, especially after the magical playoff run he led. In Hali’s absence, T.J. McConnell could see a big uptick in playing time and usage, while Ben Sheppard could see more time off the bench, and Andrew Nembhard could take on more responsibility as a facilitator.
Haliburton slipped on the court and appeared to sustain a serious injury to his lower right leg. He went down immediately and began banging the court in anguish. It was a near carbon copy of the Achilles injury suffered earlier this postseason by Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum. The 25-year-old point guard was unable to put any weight on his leg while being helped to the locker room and we don’t need official confirmation to know that his night is over. Haliburton was off to his best first quarter of the Finals, nailing three of four triples in just seven minutes. In his stead, expect big minutes from T.J. McConnell and additional playing time for the likes of Ben Sheppard and Obi Toppin. In the longterm, if the injury is indeed an Achilles, Hali could be forced to miss most, if not all, of next season.
Haliburton played through the injury in Indiana’s decisive Game 6 victory, and there was never much of a doubt that he’d gut it out to play in the winner-take-all Game 7.
Source: NBA Injury ReportNBC Sports / Rotoworld·Read update →
