Pacers Land Surprising Spot in Preseason NBA Power Rankings

The Indiana Pacers will not have their best player for the 2025-26 season. Tyrese Haliburton will be an expensive cheerleader on the bench after tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Of course, the Pacers are still going to try to win the championship without him. They brought everyone else back from last year's team except for Myles Turner, who is now in Milwaukee.

Despite the fact that there have been two massive changes to the starting lineup, one pundit has the Pacers surprisingly high on their preseason rankings list.

The Indiana Pacers are 12th in one preseason rankings

According to Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today, the Pacers sit 12th in his preseason rankings. That's surprisingly high, considering where most pundits are putting them.

Indiana still has a lot of good players in the starting lineup, including Pascal Siakam, who was the only All-Star the team had a year ago. Siakam has made a couple of All-NBA teams, as well.

Not having Haliburton available is a massive loss, but Andrew Nembhard will now get an opportunity to grow in a way that he never would have with Haliburton playing next to him.

If he is able to take that challenge of running the offense, and still be the elite perimeter defender that he was during the playoffs, this might end but being a blessing in disguise for the Pacers.

Getting Nembhard more confident with the ball in his hands will provide the Pacers who dividends in the 2026-27 season when Haliburton does return.

The Pacers can still make noise if they make the playoffs

No one in the Eastern Conference wants to play the Pacers in the playoffs, even if they don't have Haliburton. They are not going to be an easy out if they qualify for the postseason.

That's why all of the other teams in the league are hoping that they just don't make the playoffs. That would be the best-case scenario for the Cavs and the Knicks, both of whom the Pacers took out last year.

Reyes thinks that the Pacers can make the playoffs. If they do, don't underestimate their ability to cause trouble in the East.