Seven minutes into the most important Game 7 of the Pacers franchise, Tyrese Haliburton’s season and career changed for the worse. After starting the game 3-for-4 from three-point range, Haliburton would receive a pass from Obi Toppin on the left wing, and as he was trying to explode to his left on a drive, his injured right calf would make that devastating pop.
The arena and everyone watching at home went silent, and what everyone feared happened to Haliburton was confirmed on Monday afternoon, with Shams Charania reporting that he indeed tore his right Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. This will probably be one of the biggest what-ifs in recent NBA memory because of the Playoff run that the Pacers had. Here’s a little more on the injury.
Haliburton is going to Miss A lot of Time
Because of the timing of the injury, Haliburton is probably going to miss the entire 2025-26 NBA Regular Season, and if they make the playoffs, a good chunk of the playoffs. So you might as well count out Haliburton for the Pacers’ plans next season, meaning they might be taking a fall year like the Warriors did when, with the recent trade with the Pelicans to get their first round pick back from the Pelicans in the 2026 Draft, the potential significance of that pick is going to be even more now with this injury to Haliburton.
Final Thoughts
Tyrese Haliburton is a rising superstar in this league, so this Achilles injury is one of those injuries that is going to flip the landscape of the Eastern Conference on its head in the 2025-26 season, along with the Jayson Tatum and Damien Lillard torn Achilles injuries. The Pacers are going to have to address the point guard position depth-wise until he comes back. Also, I think that the Eastern Conference now become a two-team race with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers next season. Total Apex Sports has more NBA stories like this all over the site and will have plenty of Draft coverage this Wednesday.
