Tyrese Haliburton, making his first appearance as a player contributor on Prime’s NBA Nightcap, said his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon is going well and he could be playing some form of basketball by the end of the month. He won’t play in an NBA game this season — something Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard ruled out in July — but Haliburton’s trajectory for the 2026-27 season still looks promising.
“I’m in a good position,” Haliburton said. “Yesterday was six months for me, so we’re getting there. Things are going really well. I’m basically doing everything without contact right now. Hopefully the goal is by the end of the month I can start playing one-on-one. It feels like a long journey, but we’re getting there day by day.”
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Haliburton was asked how his mental recovery was going.
“As a professional athlete, nothing tests you more than something like this,” Haliburton said. “The biggest thing for me is understanding that it takes a village to get through this. The support staff I have with the Pacers has been great, my family, my fiancée, everyone has been great to me and helped me have these conversations. I think over the past year, I’ve realized, especially in the field that I’m in, that it’s okay to admit that I’m not OK. You know what I mean? Be honest about what’s going on with me.”
Haliburton said he has been in fairly frequent contact with Jayson Tatum and Dejounte Murray, who have also been undergoing Achilles rehab. He had a relationship with Tatum because they both worked with the same coach, Drew Hanlen, but he had no previous relationship with Murray, so he was especially grateful that Murray reached out and checked in on him.
In addition to his own recovery, Haliburton talked about the NBA Cup quarterfinals with regular NBA Nightcap panelists — Tyler Rooks, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Steve Nash and Udonis Haslem — and he also talked wrestling with Haslem, who discussed their favorite WWE figures.
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Dustin Dopilak has played all season for the Pacers. Get more coverage with IndyStarTV and the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: When will Tyrese Haliburton return? Pacers point guard close to playing one-on-one
