After that disastrous 19-63 season, the Indiana Pacers now finally have something to be happy about, as their All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton can’t quite wait to hit the floor.

“I can tell you I am healthy right now. I feel great. And I'm doing everything. Playing pickup pretty regularly at this point,” he said, per an X clip posted by Pacers beat reporter Tony East on August 13, 2026. “I will be ready for the season. If the season were today, I would be ready.”

This means a lot to the team and fandom that watched Hali go down with a torn Achilles during the first quarter of Game 7 against OKC in the 2025 finals. If the injury, arguably the most notorious an athlete can have, wasn't bad enough, coping with the loss that season proved harder.

But now Haliburton is looking at the 2026-27 season with an “It can't come fast enough” mindset. The 26-year-old also joked about all sorts of reports he’s been seeing about his return, those that say, “Sources tell me Tyrese will be healthy.”

Hali averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds post-injury in the 2024-25 season. If he can go back to the same form, or even better, the 2022-23 one where he averaged 20.7PPG, 10.4 AST, the Pacers’ last season’s offensive collapse won’t have to repeat itself again.

Moreover, Haliburton’s excitement isn’t just about his own return.

New Roster Pieces Give Tyrese Haliburton Fresh Optimism

During the free agency period, the team signed former Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. to a two-year, $17 million deal and former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. to a one-year, $4 million deal. TY can’t wait to play with either of them.

“I'm really excited,” he added to the same segment. “Kelly is a guy I got to know from working with Jrue Hanlen in the summer, so we had a few workouts together. He's a guy who's been annoying to go against in my career. So, I'm excited for him to be on our side.”

“Then, bringing in Larry, who has been in our league for a long time,” he added. “I think he's going to be able to help with our frontcourt depth. They're both great additions, and it's going to be fun."

Now, it’s only a matter of time before he catches up to the pace of the rest of the Pacers.

What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Deblina Roy