The news was already assumed.
But it still stunk to hear what Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard had to share with reporters on Monday about superstar Tyrese Haliburton.
The point guard won't play at all in the 2025-26 season, Pritchard said.
Haliburton will spend the entire season rehabbing his torn right Achilles.
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There could not have been a more brutal way for Haliburton to sustain this injury.
He had just hit three deep 3-pointers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road. But when he went to plant his right foot to start a drive, his Achilles gave out.
Haliburton crashed to the floor in agony. He clearly knew right away what he had done.
The playoff hero couldn't finish what he started, and now, he'll miss a whole season because his injury happened on the very last day of the league's playing calendar.
The Pacers will look very different. They let Myles Turner walk to sign with the Bucks in free agency, and now no Haliburton.
Maybe they can still squeak into the playoffs in an Eastern Conference that is also missing Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum due to their own torn Achilles.
But it already is feeling like a lost season for Indiana, and Monday's news felt like it set that in stone.
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