Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Has Surprising Strategy to Improve Basketball Knowledge

The Indiana Pacers will have to go through this season without Tyrese Haliburton leading the team. He will sit out the entire season as he continues his recovery from his torn Achilles tendon.

Haliburton will still be involved with the team, though. Kevin Pritchard has already mentioned he might use him as a scout. He will also still be on the bench for games cheering on his team.

Haliburton might not be able to be on the court, but he wants to keep his mind sharp for the game. He is using a unique technique to keep his mind sharp while he's off the court.

Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton is Using NBA 2K26 to Keep His Mind
Sharp

While speaking to Robby Kalland of CBS Sports, Haliburton revealed that he is using the latest version of NBA 2K to keep his mind sharp while he's not playing.

Haliburton revealed that he used GM Mode to see what the team might be able to bring in in terms of trades and draft picks.

"I definitely have done that. I've done that with, like, putting players on the team before they get to the team. Let me see his tendencies, let me see his hot spots, like how they fit with me. I do like MyGM and like MyNBA, simulating through the year to see, all right, if this guy was on our team, what does 2K think we would finish in the standings and stuff like that. So that's always fun. I try to use the game to the best of my ability to learn as much as I can and also have fun with it."

Haliburton believes that the video game gives him a way to stay close to basketball, even if he's not actually physically playing the game.

"I think just any way you can be around basketball in any shape, form or fashion, it always helps me. And obviously, with me going into the year not being able to play, I've been telling my boys like, I've been a 2K head for a long time, and over the last couple of years with how much I'm in the gym, and just all the responsibilities I haven't been able to play as much as I did once upon a time."

Haliburton is doing whatever it takes to make sure he's ready for the 2026-27 season, even if that means playing video games.