Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton poses for a photo during media day. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tyrese Haliburton injury headlines top Indiana Pacers storylines for the year

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Dec 29, 2025 8:38 AM ET

The 2025 calendar year will always be special in Indiana Pacers franchise history.

It marks the second time they've reached the NBA Finals, but recent times have perhaps clouded all of the success that they have experienced in the last 12 months. Here's a look at the top three Pacers storylines as the 2025 calendar year comes to a close.

Pacers reach NBA Finals

The Pacers began the year as a sub-.500 team that was trying to claw its way back to the top of the Eastern Conference. Despite winning just 20 of their first 45 games in the 2024-25 season, the Pacers figured things out and parlayed that success all the way to the NBA Finals.

It was arguably the most successful Pacers season of all time, and the team should be celebrated forever in the city of Indianapolis. Pacers shock the entire basketball world going all the way to Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were the best team in the NBA in the 2024-25 campaign.

Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury changes everything

The Pacers held the lead in the final game of the season, but Tyrese Haliburton suffering an Achilles tear would be arguably the biggest moment in the franchise's history so far. The injury knocked him out for the rest of the game and the rest of the 2025 year as the Thunder stormed back to take the lead and championship, devastating the Pacers.

It's an injury the Pacers have yet to overcome over six months later.

An epic collapse ensues

After Haliburton's injury, a tray of dominoes fell, all of which went against the Pacers. Longtime center Miles Turner left in free agency to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the injury bug spread across several other members of the Finals team, bleeding into the next season.

Now the Pacers find themselves in dead last in the Eastern Conference, and they have to almost start the entire operation over. The 2026 calendar year will be about rebuilding what was broken in the house of cards over the second half of the 2025 year.

The Pacers do have some optimism because they should get a high pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and Haliburton's return should also make things a little easier. There is some concern that he won't be the same player he was before his injury, but his presence alone should provide more pluses than minuses.