What I’m Watching as Haliburton Returns

I went to Game 4 of the 2025 Finals against Oklahoma City with my dad. We had dinner at St. Elmo’s, enjoyed the game and broke down the coverage together. It’s a night I’ll always remember.

There were also the nights during those playoff runs when we put Miss Mango to bed and stayed up watching the endings. Somehow, it kept feeling like the Pacers could find a way back from almost any deficit. She may never remember those nights. My dad and I will.

The comebacks are what stay with me most. The players fed off each other’s success, and watching them brought us closer. It rekindled a feeling I associate with the Reggie Miller years.

I’ve been a Pacers fan all my life. I grew up around this team. There’s something about watching your small market team reach that stage, especially with your dad, that stays with you. I’m hoping this group can find that shared belief again.

That’s where I want to start this series. With Haliburton coming back, the first thing I’m curious about is his confidence.

How will that show up in the way he chooses to play?

Haliburton missed the 2025–26 season after tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals. In his September 22, 2026 preview for NBA.com, Brian Martin described him as healthy. That’s the dated report I’m starting from. These are questions I want to follow when he returns, whenever that first game comes. Source: NBA.com season preview

I’ll be watching when he attacks an opening, when he moves the ball early and when he gives a play time to develop. Those choices interest me because I’m wondering how his style will evolve as he comes back.

A quick pass could be a good read. A drive could end badly even when he chose well. I want to give myself time to see a pattern before deciding what I think his confidence looks like.

I expect the other players to rally around him. I’m also interested in how they respond as his game develops. The version of Haliburton we see this season may play differently, and I want to leave room to appreciate that.

I think the team could start slowly. The late season momentum in 2025 was remarkable, and that gives me some patience. I’m interested in seeing what develops as they spend more time playing together.

This is the beginning of an ongoing series. As the games give me something to think about, I’ll write about what catches my attention and come back to the questions I started with. Zubac’s fit, Nembhard’s role and the combinations around them will have their own space as the season unfolds.

Around ten games in, I’ll revisit this first question. What have I noticed? What has surprised me? Have I changed my mind about anything?

Watching those playoff teams find a way through difficult moments gave me hope beyond basketball. I hope Miss Mango finds that kind of belief as she grows up, and learns that a setback can still leave room for another way forward.

She’s a year older now and has started saying “basketball.” That alone gives me another reason to smile heading into this season.