The inevitable has been confirmed as ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles during the Pacers’ Game 7 loss to the Thunder in the NBA Finals.
NBA fans’ hearts sank in the first quarter of last night’s thriller when Haliburton attempted to explode past Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and immediately went down in pain. The Pacers’ star was already playing through a calf strain in that same right leg during Games 6 and 7 of the Finals.
This left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, especially following a strong start from the Pacers’ star, in which he poured in nine points in his first seven minutes of action. Haliburton made plenty of people eat their words across this playoff run. On the heels of his “Most Overrated” label from an anonymous players’ poll, the two-time All-Star hit some of the most memorable shots in the playoffs with celebrations to follow. This deep playoff run by Indiana was one of the most improbable in NBA history, and Haliburton was the engine of the entire offense.
The Pacers put all doubts to the side that their Conference Finals run last season was a fluke and proved there might be something to their team-oriented approach, which the NBA has strayed away from. Ownership has been open regarding their willingness to spend to keep this core together, with Myles Turner headlining the upcoming free agent class on the team.
For Haliburton, he will begin a grueling rehab process that could keep him out all of next season. The recovery range for Achilles tears ranges among NBA players from 6-to-12 months. His injury also comes on the heels of Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum suffering the same injury. At just 25 years old, there should still be plenty of optimism for Haliburton returning to the player he has shown himself to be. But expect Indiana to be cautious in their handling of his injury process with his long-term future in mind.
The Eastern Conference is wide open next season, but this injury changes the outlook for the Pacers. They have dropped to +2200 odds to win the Eastern Conference next year on DraftKings Sportsbook and slipped from +1800 to +8000 to win the NBA Finals following the injury.
Haliburton deserves immense credit for his impressive performances across this playoff run and for helping to push this Pacers franchise further in the right direction. The memories and highlights of these performances will live on until he can return to the court and resume his pursuit of Indiana’s first championship. Expect a clearer timeline for his recovery process once surgery occurs, but don’t be shocked if Haliburton misses the entirety of next season with just four months until the 2025-26 season kicks off.
