Tyrese Haliburton Returns From Achilles Tear in Emotional Ames Homecoming
Haliburton logged 7 points and 6 assists in 16 minutes — his first game action in over 16 months. Here's what it means for your draft.
Nervous drafters will discount him — grab the elite assist upside.
- First game in 16+ months after 2025 Achilles tear
- 7 pts, 6 ast in 16 minutes vs Minnesota
- Pacers went 19-63 without him in 2025-26
- Ranked #24 overall, #12 at guard in our model
- Pacers open the season Oct. 21 vs New Orleans
Tyrese Haliburton is back on an NBA floor, and he picked the perfect venue for it. The Pacers guard played his first competitive game in more than 16 months Wednesday night, dropping 7 points and 6 assists across 16 minutes in Indiana's 123-112 preseason win over Minnesota — fittingly at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, where he starred for Iowa State before going No. 12 in 2020.
The context here matters for anyone sweating a draft decision. Haliburton tore his right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, a loss to Oklahoma City that denied Indiana its first title. He then missed all of 2025-26, and the Pacers cratered to a franchise-worst 19-63 record in his absence. Wednesday was the first real evidence that the engine of that offense still runs.
And it looked smooth. Haliburton knocked down an elbow jumper almost immediately, settling any first-game jitters. He's entered camp insisting there are no restrictions, crediting the volume of rehab work he put in and saying his confidence is rooted in that effort. For fantasy purposes, 'no restrictions' is the phrase you want to hear in October.
The Homecoming Detail
Haliburton didn't just show up — he bought out the entire Iowa State student section, with the university running a lottery so students could attend for free. Fans got custom shirts, and he addressed the crowd pregame. It's a nice story, but the fantasy read is simpler: a guy who feels this good about his return tends to come back ready to produce.
The Fantasy Fallout
The baseline is strong. In his last healthy season (2024-25), Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 9.2 assists across 73 games — good for 41.3 fantasy points per game. He sits at #24 overall in our rankings and #12 among guards, which already bakes in some Achilles caution. That's the opportunity.
Here's the actionable part: treat Haliburton as a BUY LOW. Plenty of managers will let the injury scare them into pushing him down a round or two, and 16 minutes of preseason work won't convince the skeptics. If he slides on draft night, pounce — a healthy Haliburton anchoring the offense is a top-25 asset with elite assist numbers. Monitor his minutes through the rest of the preseason, but the early signal is green ahead of Indiana's Oct. 21 opener against New Orleans.
