The 3 Biggest Pitfalls the Pacers Face on Road Back to Contention

While excitement is in the air for the Indiana Pacers return to excellence, the road back won't come without challenges.

When observing what will get the Pacers back to title contention, you first look at Tyrese Haliburton's return. He is the engine that gets this team moving and his basketball IQ is one of the best in the NBA.

The level of gravity that he possesses makes the offense that Indiana runs thrive. His ability to drain logo threes creates an enormous amount of space on the floor, and when he gets past his first line of defenders he puts the rest of the opponent into scramble mode, which causes open looks for his teammates.

Then you look at the depth of this roster and how any of these fourteen players can contribute on any given night. Indiana added wing depth in Kelly Oubre Jr. They turned Micah Potter into a more versatile utility depth piece in Larry Nance Jr., and once Johnny Furphy returns from his injury they have a young wing ready to compete.

With a strong starting five and quality role players filling in the gaps, it is easy to see why this is a force to be reckoned with.

Last but certainly not least, they have a head coach in Rick Carlisle who is one of the most brilliant minds in the game. His ability to outthink and out gameplan the opponent is on an elite level. He finds the other team's weakness before they even realized it was there.

By allowing Haliburton to run the show and not micromanage the offense, Carlisle has seen a steady improvement each season with this core of players.

Indiana has built a roster loaded with talent --centering around two stars that align perfectly together in Haliburton and Siakam-- while finding the perfect coach to pull all the right strings to get the best out of its roster.

However, there will be obstacles that they to have overcome. Here are the three things Indiana must navigate to get back to title contention.

1. Injuries (Specifically to Tyrese Haliburton)

Hali Hops — Jun 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dunks the ball during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The only thing that has been able to stunt the Pacers from winning a championship is the injury bug coming at the worst time. Haliburton was unable to finish the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals series after exiting Game 2 with a hamstring injury. This injury was a reoccuring one that took place earlier in the season and sidelined him for 10 games. Then in 2025, well...we all know what happened in Game 7 and don't need to rehash that.

The belief and hope is that Haliburton was able to use this year off to strengthen his body --which in the long-term keep him healthier for deep playoff runs. Unfortunately, history has proven that Haliburton has struggled to sustain a full bill of health through the entirety of an 82-game season, on top of a deep playoff run. If he can manage his regular season minutes and refrain from any serious injury the Pacers will be in great shape. But if he gets hurt once more during this championship run, Indiana cannot win a title without him.

2. The Depth of the Eastern Conference

Kawhi LeBron — Feb 4, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

In the past few seasons the Eastern Conference has been underappreciated, but you'd be fooling yourself if you thought it was a stronger conference than the West. The path to the NBA Finals will force them to face multiple great teams, without the chance of playing a Bucks team that was essentially Giannis Antetokounmpo & the Pips.

Even with home court advantage, Indiana could potentially have to face Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid before reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

Indiana could play a great series and still wind up on the short end of things. The Pacers will have to play great basketball from the middle of April all the way through June if they want to win a championship. There is zero room for error.

3. The Bench Takes a Step Back

obi — Mar 1, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) and forward Obi Toppin (1) look on from the bench against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Even though. we often refer to the Pacers' depth as a key strength, there is a possibility that the bench takes a step back.

T.J. McConnell has been one of the best backup point guards in the NBA but will his eventual decline take place this season? I don't think so, but it definitely is a possibility.

Indiana traded away Bennedict Mathurin in the Ivica Zubac trade and he proved throughout the 2025 postseason run how impactful he can be, although not on a consistent level. This puts a lot of pressure on Kelly Oubre Jr. to be a main focal point of the bench scoring, unless Indiana staggers Siakam's minutes to have him spend a good amount of time with the bench.

Then, you add in the backup center question mark. The jury is still out on whether or not Jay Huff has what it takes to be a playoff contending backup big. His previous experiences have not put him in a position as important as this, and now that he's anchoring the frontcourt defense for the second unit a lot will be put on his shoulders.

Obi Toppin is the only safe bet for the Pacers bench depth, with T.J. McConnell closely trailing behind. If Oubre Jr. can adjust into this new role and we see improvements from Walker and/or Sheppard, the bench will be fine.

Guys like Johnny Furphy, Larry Nance Jr., and Quenton Jackson will be chomping at the bit to get into the rotation --if they're on the outside looking in-- but no one in this unit plays like Mathurin did. And to a smaller degree, Thomas Bryant. Questions are still be answered, but it could be an area of weakness that has to be addressed and fixed at the trade deadline.

Final Thoughts

Indiana appears to be in a great spot to compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but they will have their work cut out for them. Avoiding any serious injuries and using the season to jell together as a unit will be key.

I purposely left out any questions on Zubac's fit because I truly believe that it won't be an issue. Haliburton brings the best out of any center he is paired with, and when you look at all the elite things Big Zu does, there should be no problems. It will take time to learn one another, but with his screening, passing, rebounding, and defensive strengths, this is an addition more than a question.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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