Pacers Prepping For Offensive Shift, Slower Plan Of Attack

The Indiana Pacers are heading for a very different kind of season.

With star guard Tyrese Haliburton out for all of 2025-26 after tearing his Achilles, and center Myles Turner now in Milwaukee, Indiana is expected to pivot away from the up-tempo style that defined its recent rise.

Head coach Rick Carlisle recently said Indiana never had a chance to match the Bucks’ offer to Turner, telling The Green Light with Chris Long podcast that Milwaukee moved quickly once it cleared cap space by waiving and stretching Damian Lillard’s contract.

“We were talking to them — his agent — about him returning,” Carlisle said. “And really, kind of out of nowhere, Milwaukee decided to waive Damian Lillard and stretch his contract… and then they created space to sign Myles. I think what probably happened — and this is part of negotiation in any sport — a team will say: ‘Hey, look, we have this offer. It’s this much over this many years, but if we make this offer, we need to know that you’re going to take it and not shop it.’ And so, I believe that’s probably what happened with Milwaukee.”

Turner accepted, and the Pacers were left looking ahead.

Indiana finished top 10 in both offensive rating and pace for the second straight season and reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. But with Haliburton sidelined, a shift is coming.

For starters, Andrew Nembhard is likely to take over point guard duties. As ESPN’s Jamal Collier notes, Nembhard plays a more deliberate, half-court game and doesn’t possess the same burst Haliburton brings in transition.

League executives also believe this is the moment for fourth-year wing Bennedict Mathurin to take a major step forward. With Haliburton out and Turner gone, Mathurin is expected to see a larger offensive role. He averaged 15.9 points in 28.3 minutes over his first three NBA seasons and is now extension-eligible.

The Pacers still have a talented core, but their style — and their ceiling — may look much different this time around.