Tyrese Haliburton is expected to begin Indiana Pacers training camp without restrictions, general manager Chad Buchanan said Thursday, as the guard prepares to return after missing the entire 2025–26 season with a torn right Achilles tendon.
Buchanan gave the update alongside assistant general manager Ted Wu at the Pacers Foundation Invitational at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course. Indiana opens camp Tuesday after holding its media day Monday.
“I think he’s going to be 100% full go,” Buchanan said, according to Grant Afseth’s report for Pacers Roundtable. Initial clearance would still allow the medical staff to reduce his workload on days when it considers that necessary, Buchanan said.
Haliburton suffered the injury in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against Oklahoma City on June 22. The Thunder won the championship that night, and Indiana played the following season without its starting point guard.
The Pacers finished 19–63 in his absence. Buchanan told WISH-TV that the difficult season tested the organization and said coaches, players and staff were eager to return to the court together.
Buchanan said Haliburton had emphasized getting stronger so he could better absorb contact and deliver it himself. He also said the guard intended to maintain the style of play he used before the injury.
Haliburton continued to spend time with the team during his rehabilitation, sitting beside the coaches during games rather than recovering away from the group. Buchanan said those conversations gave him another opportunity to study the decisions made by Rick Carlisle and his staff.
In 2024–25, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds and made the All-NBA Third Team. He organized offseason scrimmages with teammates in Los Angeles as he worked toward his return, Afseth reported.
The team he rejoins includes center Ivica Zubac, acquired from the Clippers in February, and summer additions Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. Indiana opens the regular season October 21 at New Orleans, then hosts Dallas on October 23.
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This page is an original Sporting Page summary. The reporting remains with WISH-TV / Pacers Roundtable.
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