Three Takeaways From Day 1 of Pacers Training Camp

The Indiana Pacers officially opened training camp Tuesday, and while there is still plenty of work to be done before the regular season begins, Day 1 provided some notable updates.

From Larry Nance Jr.'s injury status to encouraging comments from Tyrese Haliburton about his workload and Jarace Walker's understanding of his role, here are three takeaways from the Pacers' first day of training camp.

Larry Nance Jr. dealing with hamstring injury

LNJ — Sep 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward/center Larry Nance Jr. (22) poses for a photo during media day. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Indiana isn't entering training camp completely healthy.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle revealed that Nance is working his way back from a mild hamstring injury suffered more than two weeks ago. The veteran forward is participating in 5-on-0 workouts but has yet to return to full 5-on-5 action.

"He's a little limited right now in practice, but he's doing five-on-0 stuff and he's making great progress, Carlisle said. "He's coming off a mild hamstring thing from over two weeks ago. But we're confident and optimistic that he'll be back into the flow here on a full-go basis, maybe in another week or two."

Carlisle added that Johnny Furphy, who continues to rehab from a torn ACL, is the only other Pacers player currently limited.

The good news for Indiana is that Nance's injury does not appear to be a long-term concern. Still, his absence from 5-on-5 work is worth monitoring as the Pacers begin installing their system and experimenting with different lineup combinations.

Tyrese Haliburton delivers encouraging health update

Perhaps the most important news from DAy 1 came from Haliburton.

After spending the summer preparing for his return to NBA action, the Pacers star explained that his offseason training was intentionally designed to be more demanding than what he would experience once training camp arrived.

"We purposely approached the summer to where my days in the summer are much harder than practice days," Haliburton said. "So in terms of load management or whatever the percentage is with the, tracking that stuff, it's way less than my days in summer. So there's really no concern. The questions are being asked, but nobody's that concerned. I'm totally fine."

There will naturally continue to be questions surrounding his workload after missing last season while recovering from a torn Achilles, but Haliburton's comments suggest Indiana has been preparing him for the demands of training camp rather than easing him into them.

Jarace Walker understand what Indiana needs

Walker enters training camp with another opportunity to carve out a consistent spot in Carlisle's rotation, and the former lottery pick appears to have a clear understanding of what that will require.

"Doing all the little things," Walker said of his role. "Rebounding, running, getting to my spots, taking open shots, limiting turnovers, and just playing the right way."

Walker also made it clear that he isn't approaching this season worried about touches or individual numbers.

"To win you got to sacrifice, so whatever the team needs me to do night in and night out, whatever they need, I'm here,' Walker said. "I''m all about winning."

The mentality could be important for Walker as he battles for minutes in a deeper Pacers rotation.

Final Thoughts

Day 1 won't determine how Indiana's season unfolds, but it offered an early glimpse at some of the issues that will shape it.

Nance has a short-term hurdle to clear, Haliburton sounds confident that his body is prepared for the workload ahead, and Walker understands that earning a consistent role will require embracing whatever is asked of him, even if that means sacrificing touches.

For a Pacers team eager to reestablish itself after a difficult season, those three developments made for an informative --and largely encouraging-- first day back on the practice floor.

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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