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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton shares exciting injury update
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tyrese Haliburton can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Indiana Pacers star point guard Haliburton excited fans with the message that he posted to his X page on Wednesday night. 

Haliburton revealed that he has now progressed to playing 5-on-5 for the very first time since his Achilles injury last June.

“Played 5 on 5 today for first time since June,” wrote Haliburton.

The two-time All-Star Haliburton, 26, achieved immortality last year by leading the Pacers to an improbable NBA Finals run as the No. 4 seed. But the run came at a cost as Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who eventually defeated Indiana to win the NBA title.

Haliburton is now taking the entire 2025-26 season to recover, and his absence has certainly been felt tremendously by the Pacers. Indiana now holds the second-worst record in the entire NBA at a rancid 18-61.

The good news, though, is that the Pacers have an excellent chance at a high pick in the loaded 2026 NBA Draft and also added a talented new center in Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline. Haliburton has had a challenging recovery, featuring significant weight gain and also a strange illness that forced him to be sent home by the Pacers. But based on his return to 5-on-5 play, Haliburton appears to be an all-systems-go for Opening Night of the 2026-27 season.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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