Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton begins on-court work amid Achilles tear recovery

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton underwent surgery on June 23 to repair a torn right Achilles tendon. Haliburton immediately gave his fans an update on Instagram after the procedure. On Monday, Haliburton kept his fans in the loop with an IG story.

A little over two months into his rehab, the point guard shared a clip of himself shooting free throws. Roughly two weeks ago, Haliburton said that he still wore walking boots, medical braces that he no longer had while shooting.

Haliburton begins shooting drills roughly two months after tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. [photo: @tyresehaliburton/IG]

Tyrese Haliburton played through a calf injury in the 2025 NBA playoffs. In Game 7 of the Finals, he fell on the floor after attempting to drive past OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton leaned on the training staff and teammates to enter the locker room. He watched helplessly as his Indiana Pacers lost 103-91 in the winner-take-all showdown.

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A week after Haliburton’s surgery, Kevin Pritchard, the Indiana Pacers’ president of basketball operations, told reporters Haliburton would miss the 2025-26 season. Pritchard expressed confidence that the point guard would “be back better than ever,” but it would take time.

The road back to the court started on Monday when Tyrese Haliburton practiced his shooting. He has a long way to go, but he wanted to give his fans a glimpse of what he has been doing while rehabbing.

Tyrese Haliburton expects to be ready for 2026-27 season

Tyrese Haliburton started shooting on Monday, but he does not expect to be back soon on an NBA court. Still, he remains optimistic that he should be ready for the 2026-27 NBA season. The point guard opened up about the potential timetable of his return on the “Impaulsive” podcast hosted by Logan Paul and Mike Majlak.

“I think it’ll be 15 months before I play my next game.”

Late November 2026 will be 15 months after Haliburton joined Paul’s show. With NBA games starting sometime in October, the Olympic gold medalist might have to miss multiple games to open that season.

Other NBA superstars like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson returned from Achilles injuries to resume their basketball careers. Tyrese Haliburton looks to follow the same trend and hopes to be better than ever when he gets the green light to play.

About the author

Michael Macasero brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his coverage of basketball at Sportskeeda with over 18 years of diverse work experience. This includes stints at Convergys, Interpace and RunRepeat.

Michael's background in English and Journalism has provided him with the analytical skills and precision necessary for creating content, and he is a lifelong fan of the Boston Celtics. His favorite players include legends like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, modern stars like Tim Duncan, and Nikola Jokic, as well as emerging talent like Victor Wembanyama.

Michael respects Gregg Popovich, despite his contentious demeanor in interviews, and recognizes Popovich's genius in adapting his coaching style to maximize the talent on his roster over the years. Michael eagerly anticipates seeing how Popovich will structure the offense around emerging talent like Victor Wembanyama.

Understanding the story and details is crucial to Michael's reporting philosophy and he believes overlooking details, particularly when pressed for time, can lead to misunderstandings and inaccurate conclusions.

Aside from work, Michael's children are his hobbies, and he also likes to go running, swimming and weightlifting.

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Edited by Michael Macasero