Haliburton is right to be surprised — but the Pacers still have their stage

Lead

Tyrese Haliburton is right to regard Indiana’s untelevised, road-based season opener as an underwhelming setting for his regular-season return, although the Pacers’ national television date a week later stops it becoming a sustained scheduling snub. Source 1Source 2

Evidence

The basis for Haliburton’s frustration is unusually strong: he tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals and then missed the whole of the 2025-26 regular season during his recovery. Source 1Source 2

His first regular-season appearance since that injury is scheduled for 21 October, when Indiana visit the New Orleans Pelicans, rather than taking place in front of the Pacers’ home supporters or in a national broadcast window. Source 1Source 2

Haliburton said he was shocked when he saw the schedule, recalling an initial reaction of "Oh, wow", while also making clear that the team would continue regardless. Source 1Source 2

That response is understandable because the player returning is not simply a recognisable name coming off an absence: in 2024-25, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game, shooting 47.3 per cent from the field, 38.8 per cent from three-point range and 85.1 per cent at the free-throw line. Source 2

The previous season also illustrated how much Indiana missed him, as the Pacers went 19-63 without Haliburton in 2025-26. Source 2

The contrast on opening night is stark enough to make the complaint more than reflexive disappointment, with Minnesota at Miami and Golden State at the Los Angeles Lakers taking the two nationally televised slots on 21 October. Source 1

The counter-argument

There is, however, a sensible case against treating the opener as a major grievance, because Indiana will play its first home game just two days later against Dallas on 23 October. Source 1

More importantly, the Pacers are not being excluded from the national schedule for long: their first nationally televised game is at home against Philadelphia on 28 October. Source 1Source 2

That sequence gives the schedule a less hostile reading than the opening-night omission alone suggests, since Haliburton will have an early home appearance before the national window arrives. Source 1Source 2

The Pelicans matchup is also an actual competitive opening assignment rather than a ceremonial event, and the fact that it is on the road means the game can be judged on its basketball substance rather than solely on the billing around Haliburton’s comeback. Source 1Source 2

Why our verdict holds

Still, the counter-argument does not erase why the 21 October choice feels like a missed opportunity. Source 1Source 2

Haliburton’s own comparison was pointed: he questioned whether a player of comparable standing, returning from an Achilles injury after a lengthy lay-off, would be put on the road and kept off national television for that first game back. Source 1Source 2

The facts available make that question reasonable, particularly when his absence covered an entire regular season and Indiana’s record fell to 19-63 in that period. Source 1Source 2

The destination does little to strengthen the case for treating the opener as a major showcase, either, as New Orleans finished the prior season 26-56 and ranked 26th in average home attendance. Source 2

None of that means the two televised games on 21 October lack appeal; it means the NBA had an alternative story with a clear return-from-injury narrative and chose not to feature it nationally. Source 1Source 2

That is why Haliburton’s surprise is justified, while his willingness to move forward is the more useful response. Source 1Source 2

Closing read

The first week offers a quick chance to move beyond the argument: Haliburton’s regular-season return comes in New Orleans on 21 October, Indiana then hosts Dallas on 23 October, and the Philadelphia game on 28 October supplies the national platform. Source 1Source 2

If Haliburton resumes the level reflected in his 2024-25 production, the attention around the Pacers will not depend for long on whether the first night was televised. Source 2

For now, the fairest verdict is that the league passed on an obvious opening-night storyline, but did not deny Indiana or Haliburton a stage altogether. Source 1Source 2