Four practice games down, 82 regular-season games to go.
After enjoying Sunday off, the Pacers returned to work Monday with their attention now on meaningful games — and the next six months dictated by the NBA schedule.
The preseason began with a 123-112 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on a special night, where Tyrese Haliburton returned to game action for the first time in 16 months.
But that was the only game of four that the entire starting lineup was available.
At least one key player was sidelined for each of the final three exhibitions, limiting the team’s opportunity to build chemistry and establish a rhythm before the regular season.
The biggest issue hasn’t been the play on the court, but rather a series of hamstring strains. At least four players have dealt with one in the first month: Larry Nance Jr., T.J. McConnell, Quenton Jackson, and Aaron Nesmith.
All but McConnell, who sustained the same injury last preseason, appeared in at least one exhibition game. The first injury report will be out Tuesday afternoon.
The starters played roughly 18 minutes per game in the preseason, creating plenty of opportunities for the reserves and players expected to spend more time in the G League.
The Pacers dropped their final three tune-up games by a combined five points, including back-to-back overtime losses. Neither of those extra sessions was particularly welcome in the preseason.
vs. Hawks 119-117
at Thunder 114-112 (OT)
vs. Bucks 128-127 (OT)
Now it’s officially game week. The 2026-27 regular season begins Tuesday with a triple-header on NBC: Celtics at Pistons, 76ers at Knicks, and Thunder at Spurs.
And for the Pacers, they’ll watch those games from their New Orleans hotel as they tip-off a new season near The French Quarter on Wednesday night.
Before then, they made three necessary roster moves on Saturday, waiving James Johnson, Keba Keita and Rienk Mast. Keita and Mast will join coach Bryce Taylor’s Noblesville Boom team.
“We have a lot of things to improve on, really on both sides of the ball,” coach Rick Carlisle said after practice on Monday. “We’ve made some improvements, but it’s going to be an ongoing thing.
“You never are all the way to your destination. There’s always going to be work, and adjustments, and the continued need for attention to detail with everything.”
One thing is clear: the Pacers are thrilled to be playing with wins on their mind again.
“I think it’s just exciting to get back in the gym with a bunch of guys where we feel like we have a real chance to win this year,” said guard Andrew Nembhard.
Haliburton Clears Mental Hurdle in OKC
Haliburton originally wasn’t planning to play in Oklahoma City during the preseason.
But after tweaking his right ankle in the opener at Iowa State and sitting out the next game against Atlanta, he reconsidered. He wanted to play in at least three exhibition games after missing 16 months, which meant returning to the very court where he tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
“I think it was just more like a mental hurdle than anything,” he said. “But after not playing game two, I decided that I’d probably need some more game reps, so it’d probably be better for me to play. I thought I would feel something a little different or feel a type of way going in there, but you know, I didn’t really think about it once I got in and started playing basketball.
“It was good to kind of rip the band-aid off in a sense, not allow a place to have that mental hold on me.”
For one half, it looked like Haliburton had picked up right where he left off. He was playing like he did before the injury, and reopened plenty of what-if questions for fans about Game 7.
He checked that experience off, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 18 first-half minutes.
“He’s a professional and he treated the thing very professionally — and went in there and played his ass off,” Carlisle said.
Haliburton appreciated seeing shots going down. He adjusted his pace and settled in more after his adrenaline was off the charts in the first game.
“I feel like I did a lot better job slowing down,” Haliburton added. “I think that helped our group…”
The Pacers’ assist numbers were high in the preseason, but so were the turnovers. They want to continue to play fast and random. There will be growing pains and more time is needed to connect on the court.
“We got to figure each other out,” Pascal Siakam said after the preseason. “We got to continue to obviously have Ty back. He’s a big part of what we do. Just trying to figure out a way to have him get back on the floor, figure out Zu (Ivica Zubac).
“Mostly for me, preseason is just getting in shape, trying to figure out my teammates’ tendencies and things like that. I put a lot of work into my game. I’m really never worried about anything. I just go out there and play the game.”
In the meantime, they’re working on establishing that chemistry while also getting in game shape — something that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
“We use these games to get in shape and obviously, it’s going to take a couple more games into the regular season to really, really get in real shape,” Siakam added. “But I feel good about where we’re at. We got a lot to get better on.
“We got a lot of film that we’re going to watch and a lot of data that we can study and on how we can be better and improve as a team.”
News and Notes
The deadline passed on Monday for rookie extensions. Fourth-year players Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, both 2023 first-round picks, enter the final year of their contracts.
The home opener on Friday will be a gold out and every fan in attendance will receive a t-shirt. It’s a good one. Click here for more.
Want to know what uniform the Pacers are wearing for a certain game? NBA’s Locker Vision has now been updated. The Pacers will be in white (Association Edition) on Wednesday, then debut their gold pinstripes (Statement Edition) Friday against the Mavericks.
DAZN has local broadcast rights for 10 teams, including the Pacers: Hornets, Pistons, Knicks, Spurs, Magic, Timberwolves, Nets, Cavaliers and Grizzlies. Have you streamed a game yet? If so, let me know how it went…
Make sure you are subscribed to my Fieldhouse Files podcast. Click here for the latest episode.
Bryce Taylor recently completed his first staff by hiring Herman Mandole as an assistant coach. Mandole was most recently with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
