Tyrese Haliburton Playing 5 on 5 Basketball For The First Time Since Achilles Tear Excites Fans – “The Game Misses You”

The Indiana Pacers decided Tyrese Haliburton would not play this season and focus on recovery from his Achilles tendon tear.

Tyrese Haliburton Playing 5 on 5 Basketball For The First Time Since Achilles Tear Excites Fans – “The Game Misses You”

Tyrese Haliburton is on his way back to playing basketball (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Tyrese Haliburton played 5-on-5 basketball for the first time since his Achilles tear.
  • Fans expressed excitement and support for Haliburton's return to the court.
  • The Indiana Pacers are struggling this season but hope for improvement with Haliburton's recovery.

The last time Tyrese Haliburton was seen on a basketball court, he was writhing in pain during the early minutes of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

Indiana Pacers fans were left with their hands over their heads and faces. They could not get a grip on the fact that their team’s most important player suffered a painful injury at the last step in the franchise’s quest to win its first-ever NBA championship.

After he was helped off the court, the Oklahoma City Thunder went on to easily defeat Haliburton’s team and win their own first-ever title. That loss was heartbreaking. But for fans, losing the point guard to a gruesome injury was a much more bitter pill to swallow.

Two other Eastern Conference competitors, Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard, also tore their Achilles tendons during that playoff run. The latter is sitting out this season. But the Boston Celtics superstar surprised everyone with an earlier-than-expected return.

However, the 26-year-old Pacers’ star would not do that. He and the franchise made it clear that they do not want to take any risks and wanted him to complete a full recovery.

Played 5 on 5 today for first time since June.

Tyrese Haliburton wrote on X

This was the first major update to Tyrese Haliburton‘s recovery in nearly a year. It may not mean anything to Pacers fans this season, but at least it gives hope that he will be back to his best next campaign.

Fans love Tyrese Haliburton’s latest update

Unlike his conference rival, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton has not been giving major updates every now and then. In fact, other than his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Jade Jones, the Pacers star has relatively kept quiet.

Fans, on the other hand, were ecstatic on reading this tweet. They reacted with messages of support, prayers, and sheer happiness that one of the most beloved basketball players in the league was on his way back to the court. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Tyrese Haliburton has been taking it slow and steady with his recovery. That explains why he has not played any amount of five-on-five basketball until now.

But he still has a few months to get back on track, and his teammates should be there to help him as their season will surely end on April 12th.

Tyrese Haliburton’s return could skyrocket Pacers’ championship hopes next season

After Tyrese Haliburton was ruled out for this season, many expected the Indiana Pacers to struggle, but not as badly as their record has been. With three games left, they are the second-worst team in the league.

Tyrese Haliburton in pain after tearing his Achilles
Tyrese Haliburton in pain after tearing his Achilles (Image via WTHR/X)

It could be a sign that they are intentionally tanking with the hope of getting a high enough draft pick. After losing Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks, they are clearly struggling in the big man department.

Their pass-first point guard needs a good center to execute his pick-and-roll offense, which he could do once he gets on the ground, working with trade acquisition Ivica Zubac.

On top of that, if they pick a tantalizing prospect in the upcoming draft, the Pacers could be in the running for most improved team, if there was such an award.

Once he is back healthy, and hopefully with a good prospect or free agent signing at center, the Pacers could be back in the mix to fight for next year’s championship.

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