The 2025-26 NBA season is here! Over the next few weeks, we’re examining the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and win projections for all 30 franchises — from the still-rebuilding teams to the true title contenders.
2024-25 finish
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Record: 50-32 (lost to the Thunder in the NBA Finals)
Offseason moves
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Subtractions: Myles Turner
Can Pascal Siakam carry the Pacers? (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The Big Question: What does Tyrese Haliburton’s absence mean?
The Pacers rode All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton’s inclusive style of play on a magical run to the NBA Finals, where they lost in Game 7 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury — a devastating blow to Indiana’s championship chances both in the moment and into this season.
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The Pacers have ruled out any potential return this coming season for Haliburton, removing that possibility as a distraction and allowing the 25-year-old to fully recover from a debilitating injury.
Obviously, that significantly lowers the Pacers’ odds of making another deep playoff run. They are without their engine on offense, the person who sorts everyone into position and finds the open man, even if it is himself. He generates a large chunk of the team’s scoring, and not having him is a big deal.
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If there is a silver lining to the timing of Haliburton’s injury it is that it has given the Pacers ample time to prepare for his absence, and head coach Rick Carlisle is sure to maximize what talent he has left. There is plenty of it, even as Myles Turner, last year’s starting center, left for the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.
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Carlisle has already announced that Bennedict Mathurin — the league’s No. 6 overall draft pick in 2022 and an explosive scorer — will start in Haliburton’s stead, alongside Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt. Nembhard may be the NBA’s most underrated player, a dynamo on defense and steady hand on offense. He and Mathurin should be able to create points, but the absence of Haliburton’s playmaking is glaring.
Is Nembhard prepared to make another leap this season as a facilitator? Can the Pacers recreate their fast-paced, egalitarian brand of basketball without its driving force? This season will provide the answers.
We should also not ignore Turner’s departure. He is a quality rim-protecting and floor-spacing big man, and the Pacers do not have a replacement, though they acquired Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies. They still have Tony Bradley, while both James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson are returning from their own Achilles injuries. It is not an inspiring center core, unless Huff’s production can translate to more minutes.
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[Get more Pacers news: Indiana team feed]
The combination of losing Haliburton and Turner this season has led some folks to wonder: Should the Pacers tank this season? After all, the Pacers smartly reacquired their own 2026 first-round draft pick in the days before Haliburton’s injury, giving them some control over their own destiny this season. To add a high-end lottery pick to the group that made last season’s postseason run is an exciting prospect.
However, too much good came from last season to let it disappear for a year. The Pacers may never recapture that glory, but they have to hold on to it. Pascal Siakam is still an All-Star performer on the wing. They still have their hard-hat guys (Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell, to name a few). They still have Nembhard and Mathurin and a whole bunch of still-developing players. And they still have Carlisle.
Each of them just has to collectively do a little more, which is what the Pacers did best last season.
Best-case scenario
Siakam performs to an All-NBA level. Nembhard makes an All-Star leap. Johnny Furphy, Ben Sheppard and Indiana’s recent first-round picks continue to develop. Carlisle coaches them up, and the offense — even though it feels different without Haliburton — is still marked by an up-tempo style that can keep pace with most other teams. The defense is just as stout, even in Turner’s absence, and they are right back in the playoff hunt, primed to contend again once Haliburton returns for the 2026-27 campaign.
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If everything falls apart
In the absences of Haliburton and Turner, it becomes apparent Indiana does not have the firepower to compete with more complete teams, and the season begins to spiral. Mathurin is playing for his next contract, Nembhard is nowhere near the playmaker that Haliburton is, and everyone suffers as a result. The Pacers struggle to recreate their identity and instead develop a new one: tanking for a draft pick.
2025-26 schedule
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Season opener: Oct. 23 vs. Oklahoma City
Too much can go wrong. Imagine if the Pacers lose Siakam for a spell. Or Nembhard. At some point the war against attrition becomes unwinnable, and we realize how valuable Haliburton is. Take the under.
More season previews
East: Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards
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West: Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz
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