Tyrese Haliburton’s rehab from a ruptured Achilles has reached a new milestone.
On Wednesday evening, the two-time All-Star announced on X that he played 5-on-5 basketball for the first time since suffering his injury in Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals. The injury has kept him out of the entire 2025-26 season.
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Throughout his recovery, Haliburton has filled his time with non-basketball hobbies like working on his sneaker line with Puma, livestreaming with his brother and learning to DJ. Haliburton has also been a mainstay at Pacers games, encouraging his teammates from the bench.
In late February, coach Rick Carlisle told reporters Haliburton was diagnosed with shingles and would be away from the team for a few weeks. He returned to the bench on March 25.
Wednesday’s announcement not only marks major progress toward Haliburton’s return but also represents a light at the end of a forgettable season’s tunnel.
During Haliburton’s absence, the Pacers lost a franchise-record 16 straight games, a streak that lasted from the All-Star break in mid-February to March 25, when they finally won their 16th win of the season, a 128-126 sigh of relief over the Orlando Magic.
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Overall, the Pacers (18-61) are poised for their lowest win percentage ever (.228) and have sorely missed their two-time All-NBA selection. Indiana is 27th in offensive efficiency this season after finishing ninth in that category in 2024-25. The Pacers’ 36 double-digit losses this season are more than the previous two seasons combined (33), a span that saw them tie for the NBA’s eighth-best record.
As this season nears its end, the Pacers are hoping to find luck in the NBA’s draft lottery. If their first-round pick falls in the top four, or No. 10 or lower, they’ll keep it. If it falls between Nos. 5-9, it will go to the LA Clippers as part of the February trade that sent Bennedict Mathurin to LA for Ivica Zubac.
But regardless of other faces that might come and go through Indiana, knowing that Haliburton is making progress in his recovery is a positive sign for Pacers fans to latch onto.