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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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Tyrese Haliburton is looking forward to his return to the court after missing all of last season while recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon during the 2025 NBA Finals.
While speaking to reporters, the Indiana Pacers All-Star confirmed he's fully cleared to return and has no concerns about playing when the regular season begins in October.
"I saw a report that was like, 'sources telling me Tyrese will be healthy.' I am the source, so I can tell you: I am healthy right now," Haliburton joked during his recent media session.
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"So, I feel great. I'm doing everything. I'm playing pickup pretty regularly at this point, so I feel great. I will be ready for the season. If the season was today, I'd be ready, so yeah, can't come fast enough," he said.
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When Haliburton returns to join his team in practices ahead of this season, he'll have several new veteran teammates from this offseason. The Pacers signed free-agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr to a two-year, $16.5 million deal and also added veteran forward Larry Nance Jr., both of whom Haliburton said he's "excited" to have on the roster.
"Kelly's a guy I got to know from working with Drew Hanlan in the summer, so we spent a couple- we've had a few workouts together, lifted together, all those things, so he's a guy who's definitely been annoying for me to go against throughout my career, so I'm excited for him to be on our side," the Pacers star said.
He said he believes Oubre will add a lot to the team on "both sides of the ball, but specifically, defensively," by taking on various opponents. Haliburton also said the league and conference are "very wing heavy," mentioning it was previously with the Boston Celtics, but is now more so with the Philadelphia 76ers.
He said Oubre would help with them having to throw defensive standouts at the various good players on the 76ers during their regular-season meetings. Regarding Nance, Haliburton said having the experienced veteran as part of the roster will help with frontcourt depth.
Along with those two teammates, the Pacers also drafted Purdue playmaker Braden Smith after trading with the Chicago Bulls for the No. 38 pick.
Haliburton famously eliminated the New York Knicks from the NBA Playoffs in 2025 before he went down with that torn Achilles in the NBA Finals. After seeing the Knicks claim the championship in his absence in the following year, it's clear that Haliburton wants to get back on the court and see if he can continue to lead this squad to success in the Eastern Conference.
That will be a tough task, seeing the changes that the 76ers made to their starting lineup with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, as well as the Miami Heat adding former NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, Haliburton is known for making big plays, often unexpectedly to dash other teams' hopes of winning.
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