INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said on his weekly radio interview on 107.5 The Fan it was “very unlikely” Tyrese Haliburton will play at all next season after his Achilles tendon tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but said he had an “uplifting” call with Haliburton immediately after the All-Star point guard’s surgery in New York on Monday night.
Carlisle said he was on a long car ride and called Haliburton at 8:49 p.m. thinking he would be out of surgery.
“He answered the phone on the first half ring,” Carlisle said. “He said, ‘Hey coach how you doing?’ He sounded totally upbeat. I said, ‘I’m doing great, how are you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m gonna be good. I’m gonna be good.'”
Carlisle said he noticed at that point that Haliburton had sent a picture in the group text including all the players on the roster and the assistant coaches of him in his hospital bed after surgery. The combination of the call and the picture were deeply meaningful, but Carlisle acknowledged Haliburton and the Pacers have a daunting task ahead.
“I really want the fanbase to understand this,” Carlisle said. “The exchange on the telephone last night at 8:49 p.m. Eastern Time was one of the most uplifting moments in my entire coaching career. People should be very hopeful. This is going to be a long haul, a long road back. Obviously, very unlikely that he’ll play at all next year. I don’t think I’m speaking out of school as a non-medical person.”
And the Pacers are of course, ready with contingencies and looking to build in more. Haliburton has missed time in the past and that has led to Andrew Nembhard being moved into a starting role and more responsibility being placed on T.J. McConnell.
“This will allow Andrew Nembhard to step into a different role, that’s pretty obvious, and one that he’s proven very capable of,” Carlisle said. “T.J. McConnell was signed by ownership and (president of basketball operations) Kevin (Pritchard) and (general manager) Chad (Buchanan) last summer to be with us hopefully through the end of his career. Those two guys will lead us in that position and I know Kevin and Chad will find ways to get us other help.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rick Carlisle says it’s ‘very unlikely’ Tyrese Haliburton plays 2025-26 season