Tyrese Haliburton missed all of last year after suffering an Achilles injury during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, but he made his return to the Indiana Pacers during their season opener, and the Boston Celtics should be terrified.
Tyrese Haliburton didn't skip a beat in his Pacers return
Haliburton looked like his old self against the New Orleans Pelicans (especially in the second half, once he really found his rhythm). He was running up the court, making some incredible reads and passes, being a high-level playmaker and facilitator, and reminding everyone just how much of an offensive threat he still is.
In the 123-120 victory, the Iowa State alum recorded 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting, including 2-for-6 from deep (he scored 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the second half), 12 assists (to just three turnovers), two rebounds, and a steal in 33 minutes.
Haliburton is back, and the game of basketball is better for it. He and the Pacers are on a mission to get back to the promised land after what happened in the 2025 NBA Finals and essentially taking a gap year last season. And while that might make for some entertaining storylines, the rest of the league needs to watch out, and that applies to the Celtics.
The Celtics know firsthand how dangerous the Pacers can be
It is technically a different team, but the nucleus, the coaching, the playstyle (mostly), and the resilience the Pacers have become known for were all things the Celtics saw firsthand in the 2024 Playoffs during their conference finals matchup.
Even though it was technically a four-game sweep, everybody will tell you that Indiana was the Celtics' biggest challenge during their championship run. Outside of Game 2, every game of that series was decided by five or fewer points.
Boston made easy work of the Miami Heat in the first round (all their wins were by double digits), the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next round, and (to a lesser extent) the Dallas Mavericks in the finals. The games the Celtics won, they dominated, but that wasn't the case against Indiana, whose fast-paced play style makes it difficult for anybody to guard them for an entire game, let alone a seven-game series.
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are once again a force in the East
Myles Turner is gone (though Ivica Zubac is an upgrade, even if he doesn't fit the floor-spacing prototype). Bennedict Mathurin is gone. And T.J. McConnell isn't what he was in 2024. But Rick Carlisle is still there. Andrew Nembhard has only gotten better. Pascal Siakam is still incredible. And Aaron Nesmith (remember him?) should be in for a bounce-back year.
Most importantly, though, Haliburton is back. And now, so are the Pacers, who were just one win (half?) away from winning it all in 2024.
The Celtics have a lot to prove this year after trading Jaylen Brown, but they are going to have some real competition in their way. And based on Haliburton's return, it doesn't look like their path is going to get any easier.
Add us as a preferred source on Google