Photo: Indiana Pacers/YouTube

Tyrese Haliburton has returned to the floor and is once again taking part in full-contact basketball activities, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Roughly seven months after suffering an Achilles tear in the Pacers’ Game 7 defeat to the Thunder, Haliburton has advanced to playing in three-on-three and four-on-four scrimmages as part of his recovery.

“I’m approaching week 31 here, so almost going on eight months,” Haliburton said in a recent appearance on LeBron James‘ Mind The Game podcast. “Man, I feel really good. My body feels really good. I just started playing 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 full court. That’s been good to be with the (player development) interns and stuff. It’s been funny because as I’ve started playing with the interns and (assistant coach) Jannero Pargo, one of our player development guys, I’m playing with these guys and I feel so nice. I’m like, ‘Ooh, I can play in an NBA game right now.’”

Even with that confidence, Haliburton acknowledged that practicing with regular teammates quickly reminded him that he is still working his way back to full speed.

Sessions alongside players such as Kam Jones, Ethan Thompson, and Bennedict Mathurin highlighted the gap between feeling healthy and being fully game-ready.

“First play, (Mathurin) comes down, hesi, shoots a three,” Haliburton said. “They’re like, ‘Go at him!’ He’s like, ‘Ah, his leg.’ I’m like, ‘Hey bruh, I’m fine. Attack me like normal. I gotta see where I’m at.’ He hesi’d me one time. He was at the rim, I was still at the three-point line. I was like, ‘Ohhh.’ I still got some time. I gotta give myself some grace and understand it’s going to take some time.”

Indiana officially ruled Haliburton out for the entire 2025/26 season last summer, meaning his return to NBA games will not come until at least next fall.

Still, the strides he has made suggest he should be in a strong position by training camp and potentially set up for a rebound year in 2026/27.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR