The Indiana Pacers find themselves in familiar territory as far as the projections for the 2026-27 season are concerned. Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, which played a major role in Indiana finishing 19-63 in the regular season last campaign.
Now, however, with Haliburton once again fit and playing his first preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Pacers are largely projected to be dark-horse contenders for the playoffs next season, with ESPN’s Basketball Power Index predicting 42 wins and a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Haliburton has now fired back at the predictions, claiming the entire team feels slighted due to how the Pacers are not given the respect they deserve, per ESPN.
“I don't look too much into it,” Haliburton said. “Our whole team can relate to that. We've all felt that way one way or another.”
Indiana was whitewashed 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 by the Boston Celtics, and went all the way to the Finals the following season, where they eventually lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers are also the last team to defeat the defending champions, the New York Knicks, in a playoff series, and yet find themselves counted among the dark horses in the East.
There is little doubt that the Eastern Conference will be extremely competitive next season, especially given the additions the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat have made in recent months. The East also boasts of teams such as the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors in addition to the defending champions, which undoubtedly represents a major challenge for the Pacers.
However, according to general manager Chad Buchanan, this is exactly the kind of situation the Pacers thrive in.
Article Continues Below“Finding that magic again, that's no guarantee,” he said. “But our core guys believe in each other. They feel like people have written them off already. That's what's happened those two years we made runs — people just kind of discarded us. That's what fuels them.”
Still, much will depend on whether Haliburton can quickly return to his former levels after what has been an extremely lengthy period on the sidelines.