Pacers prepare for NBA Finals follow-up
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The Pacers are ready to soar as the 2025-26 season approaches. Photo: David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
The preseason just started, but the Indiana Pacers are already thinking of how they can follow up last season's historic run.
Why it matters: The Pacers fell just one game short of being the best team in the NBA last summer, but they're facing this season without superstar Tyrese Haliburton, whose late-game heroics keep their postseason rolling on more than one occasion.
Zoom in: While seemingly in good spirits as he recovers from a torn Achilles and still raising his profile off the court, there is no chance of Haliburton suiting up before the 2026-27 season ends.
- The Pacers will also play their first NBA season in a decade without Myles Turner. Formerly the longest-tenured Pacer, he joined the Milwaukee Bucks roster in July.
State of play: The Pacers still have plenty of firepower to match up with the rest of the NBA's Eastern Conference, including All-Star Pascal Siakam, who many expect to assume the role of team leader and primary offensive option in Haliburton's absence.
- But Siakam — who has reciprocated the love shown to him by the Circle City since his arrival from Toronto in January 2024 — believes filling Haliburton's signature Pumas is a responsibility bigger than just a single player.
- "I feel like I've heard that so many times … people just talk about it and it keeps spreading around. That's not the way I look at it," he said during media day last month. "We're going to have to do it collectively and that's the way we've got to think about it. That mentality of (being) the No. 1 option is kind of played out."
- "You can be the No. 1 guy all you want. But if your team doesn't win, it doesn't matter."
Zoom out: Plenty of other Pacers are also emerging as fan-favorite and household names.
From Aaron Nesmith cracking ESPN's top 100 players list to the team's youngest player Johnny Furphy turning heads with a viral Summer League dunk, Hoosiers are backing their squad and letting the "Yes 'Cers" banners fly.
What's next: The preseason continues with a low-stakes rematch against NBA Finals opponent Oklahoma City Thunder at 7pm Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.