Tyrese Haliburton is back in the Pacers conversation after sitting out a full season with a torn Achilles, and Indiana’s appearance in Iowa on Wednesday puts his return in the center of the night. The Wolves are there to meet the Indiana Pacers, but the draw is Haliburton, who had not played an NBA minute since the Finals run that ended with the Thunder winning the title.
That absence gives Wednesday a different edge. For one season, Haliburton was out after helping push the Pacers toward a potential upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, only to see the Thunder finish the job. Now the conversation shifts from what he missed to what Indiana looks like with him back in the frame, even if the setting is still a preseason stop in Iowa State with the Pacers.
The interest is not limited to one player. Minnesota comes in after drubbing the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, a game that turned briefly absurd when Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Balls kept launching from deep soon after crossing half-court in the first half. In the second quarter, the Wolves also ripped off back-to-back fast-break plays, and Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins called a timeout after the run stalled the game into Minnesota’s pace.
There was plenty of heat in that game, too. Terrance Shannon Jr. got to the line six times, a small number on paper that still fit the pace Minnesota forced from the opening minutes. Chris Finch’s group looked loose, fast and willing to test distance early, which made the result feel less like a tune-up and more like a statement that the Wolves can still overwhelm teams when their legs are fresh.
Still, Haliburton is the name that hangs over Wednesday. A full season away is a long time in the NBA, especially for a player whose last memory was steering the Pacers toward something bigger before the injury changed the story. That is why the Pacers in Iowa matters now: it is not just another preseason date, but the first real checkpoint for how Indiana looks when the player who defined its last run is finally back in the picture.
