Pacers Insider Reveals Who Must Step Up in Tyrese Haliburton’s Absence

The IndyStar's Dustin Dopirak believes forward Pascal Siakam will need to step up for the Indiana Pacers during All-Star Tyrese Haliburton's absence during the 2025-26 season.

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Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and is projected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming NBA season. With Haliburton out, Siakam will be the lone All-Star on the Pacers and will likely handle the ball more often than he has since coming to Indiana.

"[Siakam] has been the Pacers’ most consistent player in his time with the team and with Haliburton out he’ll have to be excellent most nights for them to have a chance to win," Dopirak writes. "He’ll have to initiate offense more often and might even be a primary ball-handler more frequently like he was in Toronto toward the end of his time there. Opponents will focus their defense on him first and so he’ll be dealing with constant pressure and will have to get used to that life again."

Siakam has thrived in the Pacers' system with Haliburton supplying him the ball, however he will need to adjust to life without him if he is to lead this team to success in 2025-26. Siakam has led the Pacers in scoring since his arrival, and will need to continue to be a force on offense if the Pacers are to be competitive next season.

As Dopirak mentioned, Siakam was the main man in Toronto over his last few seasons with the Raptors. His usage rate peaked at 28.1 percent in Toronto, and stayed at or above 25.8 percent from 2019-20 to 2022-23. He averaged 22.9 points per game during that stretch, more than he has put together in a Pacers uniform so far.

While Siakam may be the Pacers' most important player for the upcoming season, he will not be doing everything alone. The Pacers proved the importance of depth during their miraculous playoff run in 2024-25, and will have to do so again after replacing center Myles Turner, who they lost in free agency, with several options. With the additions they have made thus far, the Pacers are more than capable of putting together a surprising season with Siakam at the helm.

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