Pacers Insider Projects Bleak Season Outlook After Schedule Reveal

Expectations for Indiana's year are understandably modest.

The Pacers lost two-time All-NBA starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton to an Achilles tendon tear, incurred in Game 7 of that fateful Finals clash against Oklahoma City. He's expected to miss all of the forthcoming season.

Starting Indiana center Myles Turner agreed to a lucrative four-season, $108.9 million free agent deal with the Central Division nemesis the Pacers have defeated in each of the last first rounds of the playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Now, RB Hayek of ClutchPoints has issued a disappointing (probable) reality check to Indiana fans.

Still, Hayek does think head coach Rick Carlisle and returning mainstays Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, and Bennedict Mathurin will help Indiana stay at least competitive in the Eastern Conference.

Pacers Will 'Find a Way' to Compete This Year, Says Hayek

"The Pacers will eventually find a way to do well enough to compete. No, they will not be making another deep run. But the Pacers will not be a horrible team either," Hayek opines. "While the Eastern Conference has some teams that are just looking to emerge out of mediocrity, it also has a lot of teams that are still years away."

Indiana and the Boston Celtics both underwent major roster changes this summer, after losing All-NBA standouts Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, respectively.

"This team will go 41-41, which will be good enough for a ninth-place spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Then, they will defeat the Miami Heat in the play-in game to advance to the winner-takes-the-eighth-place spot," Hayek a dds. "This will pit them against the Boston Celtics, who also lost a star player when Jayson Tatum went down in the playoffs. While the Pacers will put up a good fight, they will fall to the Celtics in the play-in game, ending a season that was doomed from the start."

Last year, Indiana posted a 50-32 record and advanced to its first NBA Finals in a quarter century, building off a 47-35 run in 2023-24 and a surprise Eastern Conference Finals berth.

"The 2025-26 season will be a struggle, but the Pacers will not go down without a fight," Hayek adds. "Despite losing Haliburton and Turner, this team will show something new, and it will make every player significantly better.