It’s natural to view the upcoming Indiana Pacers season with a sense of apathy and disinterest. Last season’s magical postseason run ended with horror and dismay in game seven of the NBA Finals. The primary source of postseason magic, Tyrese Haliburton, will be sidelined this season with a torn Achilles suffered in game seven. To make matters worse, Indiana not only failed to retain 10-year Pacer Myles Turner in free agency, they watched him walk straight to a division rival in the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Pacers slot in at No. 21 in FanDuel’s 2025-26 championship odds. A striking five teams that failed to qualify for the 2024-25 playoffs are listed ahead of the reigning Eastern Conference champions — the Hawks, Mavericks, 76ers, Spurs and Raptors.
Two years ago, the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Last season they reached game seven of the NBA Finals. Indiana’s upcoming season undoubtedly is expected to end earlier than the previous two because of the hits their roster has taken from injury and free agency.
That said, the Pacers roster that will take the floor this season is still capable of success. Supporting that claim are three characteristics of the roster and how it fits into the landscape of the Eastern Conference, which are outlined below.
The Pacers have a quality roster, even without Haliburton and Turner
Seventy-five percent of minutes played and 68% of points scored by the Pacers in game six of the NBA Finals, which Indiana won to extend the series, are attributed to players who remain on the roster and are healthy for 2025-26 regular season action.
The loss of Turner, and especially the loss of Haliburton, absolutely are detrimental to the team’s strength and identity. Indiana loses the spectacular playmaking abilities of Haliburton as a passer and scorer, and the presence of Turner, a center who can stretch the floor and legitimately threaten defenses from around the perimeter.
However, a strong majority of an NBA Finals team’s minutes and production return to the Pacers for the 2025-26 season, which is a fact that should not be ignored and indicates that Indiana’s upcoming season should be taken seriously.
Indiana also added contributors to the roster in the offseason, and will amplify the roles of multiple key pieces in response to the losses of Haliburton and Turner.
In replacement of Turner, Indiana gains the talents of Jay Huff, a more prominent anchor of the offense and defense who is a reliable scorer from close range and an impactful shot blocker. Isaiah Jackson also returns to the lineup at center after tearing his Achilles last November and sitting on the bench throughout the run to the Finals.
As Turner moves out to Milwaukee, capable and promising centers step up to replace him. Similarly, as Haliburton steps out of the starting five, Bennedict Mathurin steps into it. Mathurin is a hungry, ambitious rising star that dropped 31 points against the Spurs in the preseason and averaged over 15 points per game in under 20 minutes per game in the four preseason contests.
Also of note, Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell have proven to be capable and promising as point guards, with Nembhard sliding over from the shooting guard position and McConnell continuing to spark the offense from off the bench.
Mathurin appears to be prepared to make an immediate impact as a starter in the absence of Haliburton. The combination of Nembhard and McConnell appear prepared to take up Halburton’s duties of running the point proficiently, and the combination of Jackson and Huff appear prepared to restore a considerable amount of the production previously created by Turner at center.
Between the returning starters from the NBA Finals run and the added or amplified contributions of Jackson, Huff, Mathurin, Nembhard and McConnell, Indiana’s roster is a valuable one that is worthy of attention and respect.
The Eastern Conference is wide open
Fortunately for Indiana, the Eastern Conference is a much less hazardous place to play basketball than the west. Tragically, Boston’s Jayson Tatum also suffered an Achilles tear, as well as Damian Lilliard, who was then waived by Milwaukee and has since moved back to Portland. The playoffs were treacherous for Eastern Conference superstars, and the firepower of the east has been greatly diminished as a result.
The Cavaliers and Knicks stand a cut above the rest and are expected to lead the conference throughout the season above a cluster of unproven teams. Orlando, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Toronto all are currently favored over Indiana to win the championship according to FanDuel. Six of those seven have not won a playoff series in the last two years.
While New York and Cleveland are largely accepted to be the favorites in the east, it’s safe to say that the rest of the playoff field is up in the air and incredibly difficult to predict. In an environment as volatile as this one, experienced and cohesive rosters are likely to emerge from the fog, especially early in the season.
The Pacers may not have their best player, and may have lost their longest tenured player, but they do have a degree of experience and cohesion that few teams in the east can match.
Indiana enters the season with experience and cohesion
It’s no secret that the east is wide open, and that the majority of playoff rosters will enter the postseason without much prolonged playoff experience. Indiana’s core assemblage of players, even without Haliburton and Turner, has won five playoff series in the last two years and is at this point accustomed to the arduous postseason experience.
The same idea can be applied to the Boston Celtics, who begin the season without Tatum but have won five playoff series of their own, winning the championship in 2023-2024 and reaching the Conference Semifinals in 2024-2025. The only other team with five or more series wins in the last two years is Oklahoma City, who has also won five and has a championship to its name in that time frame.
Also, the success of many Eastern Conference contenders is dependent on offseason additions to the roster that are integral to the core of the team’s identity. Atlanta, Milwaukee and Orlando all fit that category. Atlanta brought in Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Milwaukee swiped Turner from Indiana and Orlando traded for Desmond Bane.
Philadelphia is in a similar situation, as its diverse and talented core has spent hardly any time on the court together after a sweeping curse of injuries derailed the 2024-25 campaign.
In a conference where the success of many contending teams is dependent on offseason additions not previously seen with their current rosters, Indiana’s success is dependent on players who took the floor together during a pair of postseason runs that ended no earlier than the Conference Finals. That will come in handy in many games and fourth quarters throughout the season.
Across the board, the Indiana Pacers have an experienced, cohesive roster full of great players in a conference that will likely produce a great deal of competition and intrigue over the course of the season. Any team that fits that description is worthy of attention and respect in the NBA.
Regular season action inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse begins on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., as the Pacers host the reigning champions in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
