And-Ones: Durant, Olympics, U.S. Roster, Parker, Brooks
Four-time gold medalist Kevin Durant tells Vincent Goodwill of ESPN he wants to represent Team USA again at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The 37-year-old Rockets forward, who is the U.S men’s team’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition, did add a caveat, however.
“Hell yeah, I want to play,” Durant said. “I would love to, but I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I’m not expecting, I want to produce on the floor and make (managing director) Grant (Hill) and whoever is making the decisions, want to put me on the team. I don’t want — not just for seniority. I want to still prove I can help the team win.
“Today, yeah I feel like I’ll put my name in that hat.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Speaking of the 2028 Olympics and USA Basketball, Zach Kram of ESPN takes an early look at potential candidates for the Americans’ roster. Kram predicts that Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Jalen Duren, Amen Thompson, Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum will be the 12 players selected (they’re listed by age). Durant could take the final wing spot on the roster, according to Kram, but only if he’s still “engaged and deserving” two-plus years from now.
- Partizan Belgrade is expected to loan former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker to Spanish club Joventut Badalona for the rest of the season, according to a report from Mozzart Sport (hat tip to Sportando). Parker been away from the Serbian club for several weeks, last playing on January 9. The veteran power forward is still under contract with Partizan through 2026/27, though his future with the team is uncertain.
- Shooting guard Armoni Brooks, who played parts of three NBA seasons from 2020-24, has been named MVP of the Italian Cup after helping lead Olimpia Milano to a title in the domestic tournament, per Fabio Cavagnera of RealOlimpiaMilano.com (hat tip to Sportando). The 27-year-old said he “100%” wants to re-sign with the Italian squad.
Pacers Notes: Brown, Siakam, Haliburton, Carr, Zubac
Along with acquiring Ivica Zubac from the Clippers earlier this month, the Pacers added guard Kobe Brown in the deal. Brown was only averaging 8.7 minutes per game in L.A. but his playing time has skyrocketed with his new team.
Brown has appeared in five games, including one start, and is averaging 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per contest. The 26-year-old had a season-high 15 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes against Dallas on Sunday.
“This is a great chance for us to figure out as much as we can about him,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “I like the things he’s doing. … When you get an opportunity like this, this is where you can really show what you can do.”
It’s a de facto audition for Brown, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Clippers declined their option on his 2026/27 contract prior to this season.
“For him he’s got to understand what we want him to do and where we need him to be,” forward Pascal Siakam said. “But I think he’s doing a great job of playing within whatever’s happening and not thinking about it. When you’re open, shoot it. Other than that, just play as hard as you can.”
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Siakam scored 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, for his 11th 30-plus point performance of the season during the loss to the Mavs. He also notched eight rebounds and three assists and the Pacers were +7 in his 29 minutes, Dopirak notes. Siakam is dealing with a left hamstring issue but doesn’t want to be shut down, despite the team’s record and the franchise’s desire to get the best lottery odds possible. “Anyone that knows me knows that I want to play,” Siakam said. “I don’t want to sit around.”
- As if Tyrese Haliburton didn’t have enough to deal with as he worked his way back from an Achilles tendon tear, the star guard has been diagnosed with shingles, according to an ESPN report. He will be away from the team for a few weeks. “It’s a very painful thing,” Carlisle said. “… He will make a full recovery, but this happened over the last few days. He was meeting us in D.C. and had some odd symptoms, and he came back here. That’s what’s happening with him. We certainly wish him a speedy recovery. It’s a unique case and a unique situation, but I talked to him a few times, and he’s always in a good mood, so he’ll get through it.”
- Senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Carr is joining Darian DeVries‘ staff at Indiana University as executive director of basketball, according to Jeff Rabjohns of 247Sports.com. Carr, who will report directly to DeVries, has been with the Pacers organization for 25 years. He has managed the team’s pre-draft preparation for more than a decade as well as its evaluations of all draft prospects. He’s a former IU manager.
- How will Zubac fit in with the Pacers? In a Forbes article, Tony East takes a closer look at Zubac’s potential impact, including his defensive prowess and willingness to set hard screens. Zubac has yet to make his Pacers debut due to an ankle injury.
Central Notes: Cunningham, Bickerstaff, Siakam, Bulls
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will make his second straight All-Star appearance on Sunday. He tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that being selected to the 2026 exhibition was one of his long-term goals, as the mini-tournament is being held at the Intuit Dome, where the men’s basketball competition will take place at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“The L.A. All-Star Game was part of that plan,” Cunningham said. “I wanted to make sure I’m in there. And then win a championship and be an Olympic point guard. It’s all part of the long-term plan, for sure.”
Cunningham is having an excellent all-around season for Detroit, averaging 25.3 points, 9.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals on .462/.330/.802 shooting through 46 games (34.9 minutes per game). Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff made sure to point out that Cunningham excels on both ends of the court for the top-seeded Pistons.
“He is a [6-foot-6] point guard who dominates all areas of the offensive end of the floor,” Bickerstaff told Andscape. “But what I don’t think people talk about enough is his defense, his willingness to guard the other team’s best players.
“The impact that he has on that end of the floor – to me, he’s one of the top five two-way players in our league. There may be some guys that they talk about offensively, but his impact is on both ends of the floor. There’s not many guys in this league that are that way.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- In an interview with Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, Bickerstaff said he didn’t expect to be hired by the Pistons in the 2024 offseason after being let go by the Cavaliers. “I didn’t think I was going to get a job,” Bickerstaff told Heavy Sports. “There weren’t jobs available at that point. So I was just sitting at home and hanging out with my family back in Cleveland trying to figure out what was next. We were going to move to San Clemente, California. There’s a soccer academy there, and we were going to go there and let the kids go to the academy and train.” Bickerstaff has spearheaded a dramatic turnaround in Detroit, and he says he was able to grow from the experience of being fired by the Cavaliers. “That month that I had off gave me an opportunity to, like, evaluate myself and think about what I was going to be at the next opportunity and just understanding that the focus should always be on the process and not just focused on the results,” he said. “In my last year in Cleveland, I let that get the best of me, where it was like results, results, results. And we skipped some of the process stuff.”
- Pacers star Pascal Siakam recently spoke to Mark Medina of EssentiallySports at the Basketball Without Borders All-Star camp at the Lakers’ practice facility. Siakam was introduced to the NBA world when he attended a BWB camp in Africa in 2012. “I saw Luol Deng. I saw Serge Ibaka. I saw NBA players at that time. I thought, ‘This is cool.’ I saw NBA coaches. I had never been exposed to the NBA beforehand. I think that was my first time,” Siakam said. “I think I will always remember those memories and see how excited we were to get the opportunity. After that, my love for the game grew. We’re here now.” The All-Star forward also discussed his growth as a vocal leader, Tyrese Haliburton‘s impact on the team as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, and his excitement about playing with new starting center Ivica Zubac, among other topics.
- Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times grades the Bulls‘ trade deadline moves, giving the front office a D-plus because the series of transactions “came at least a season too late.”
Central Notes: Haliburton, Bradley, Collins, White, Cavs
Tyrese Haliburton is back on the court and playing full-contact basketball again, Dustin Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star. Seven months after tearing his Achilles in the Pacers‘ Game 7 loss to the Thunder, Haliburton is participating in in three-on-three and four-on-four scrimmages.
“I’m approaching week 31 here, so almost going on eight months,” Haliburton said in a recent appearance on LeBron James‘ Mind The Game podcast (Twitter video link). “Man, I feel really good. My body feels really good. I just started playing 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 full court. That’s been good to be with the (player development) interns and stuff. It’s been funny because as I’ve started playing with the interns and (assistant coach) Jannero Pargo, one of our player development guys, I’m playing with these guys and I feel so nice. I’m like, ‘Ooh, I can play in an NBA game right now.'”
Although his body feels good, Haliburton admitted that he got a taste of reality once he got on the court with teammates like Kam Jones, Ethan Thompson, and Bennedict Mathurin.
“First play, (Mathurin) comes down, hesi, shoots a three,” Haliburton said. “They’re like, ‘Go at him!’ He’s like, ‘Ah, his leg.’ I’m like, ‘Hey bruh, I’m fine. Attack me like normal. I gotta see where I’m at.’ He hesi’d me one time. He was at the rim, I was still at the three-point line. I was like, ‘Ohhh.’ I still got some time. I gotta give myself some grace and understand it’s going to take some time.”
The Pacers ruled out Haliburton for the 2025/26 season last summer, so we won’t see the star point guard playing in an NBA game before next fall. Still, the progress he has made in his recovery bodes well for his availability in training camp — and for a potential bounce-back ’26/27 season in Indiana. The team has one the NBA’s worst records this year at 12-36.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers have an open spot on their 15-man roster again after Tony Bradley‘s second 10-day contract expired overnight. If they want to bring back Bradley, the Pacers would have to sign him to a guaranteed rest-of-season deal, but won’t happen for now, tweets Tony East of Circle City Spin. I expect the team will hold that roster spot open for at least the next week in case it proves useful in a trade-deadline deal.
- Bulls big man Zach Collins – out since December 27 due to a toe injury – isn’t close to returning to action. Head coach Billy Donovan said on Wednesday that Collins is still wearing a walking boot and will be reevaluated in two weeks, per Dopirak (Twitter link).
- Bulls guard Coby White tells Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required) that he’s taking a positive view of being the subject of so many trade rumors this season. “You’ve got to always look at it like — it’s good to be wanted, you know?” White said. “But I don’t really know what’s going to happen. I don’t have any clue. … I just want to see everybody succeed. Whatever direction they decide to go in or they’re deciding to go in, I want all these guys to succeed. I got drafted here, so I want the organization to succeed. I hope it works out for them, whatever they decide.”
- The raised court at the Cavaliers‘ Rocket Arena is under scrutiny again after Luka Doncic slipped off the sidelines and hurt his lower left leg on Wednesday night, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. The Lakers star appeared to avoid a major injury, but it’s not the first time the court has been an issue — after Dru Smith suffered a season-ending ACL injury in 2023, the Heat contacted the NBA to express concerns about the gap between the arena floor and the playing surface. “It is absolutely a safety hazard,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “And I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. You know, you can lodge formal complaints. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you lodge a formal complaint.”
Eli Cohen contributed to this story.
And-Ones: Undervalued Players, Calf Strains, Beverley, Morris
John Hollinger of The Athletic lists seven “undervalued” players from around the NBA who are making an outsized impact relative to their contracts. The seven players are specifically “hard-playing, unheralded guys with a little bit of extra edge to them,” as Hollinger puts it.
Raptors backup point guard Jamal Shead is the first player listed, which isn’t surprising. As Hollinger writes, Shead made an immediate impact as a rookie due to his strong defense, but his offensive improvements in year two have made him a key part of Toronto’s rotation.
While the 23-year-old’s shooting is still a “work in progress,” he is processing the game at a higher level in 2025/26.
“Just going left and making reads,” Shead said of his offseason improvement. “It’s not always about scoring, it’s about if they’re trying to push me left or right in the ball screen, can I still make the read out of that? I’m understanding the pace of the game and how to really create for my teammates. … Impacting defense is what I’m going to do regardless, but I’m impacting offense this year a lot more too.”
Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, and Hornets center Moussa Diabate are among the other players highlighted by Hollinger.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In an interesting and in-depth story for Yahoo Sports, Tom Haberstroh takes a look at the increase in players missing time with calf strains this season. While there are two very famous examples (Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton) of players with calf injuries later tearing their Achilles tendon, those cases have been the exception and not the rule. “The interesting thing is, historically, a calf strain is thought of as this completely separate injury from an Achilles tear,” said Dr. Scott Ellis of the Hospital of Special Surgery (HSS) in New York. “When you have somebody with an Achilles rupture, nine times out of 10 — actually, even more, 99% of the time — they don’t have anything that you could pick up structurally in an imaging exam on their Achilles.”
- Longtime NBA guard Patrick Beverley, who spent last season in Israel, has reached a contract agreement with the Greek club PAOK, reports Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops.net. According to Miloradovic, Beverley is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki — where the team is based — on Saturday evening to finalize the deal, which is pending a physical. Beverley, whose last NBA stint was with Milwaukee in 2023/24, was arrested last month in Texas and charged with assault of a family/household member. TMZ reported that Beverley was accused of punching his sister in the eye and choking her for between 20 and 30 seconds.
- Veteran NBA guard Monte Morris, who spent time with the Pacers earlier this season, officially signed with the Greek EuroLeague team Olympiacos last week. Eurohoops.net passes along some highlights from Morris’ introductory press conference.
Afseth’s Latest: Mavs, AD, Klay, Giannis, Morant, Kessler, More
Although Dallas’ front office is open to listening to offers on Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks aren’t “aggressively shopping” any of those four veterans, sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.
As Afseth details, rival teams have gotten the impression that the Mavericks are currently evaluating not only their play to this point in the season but also their options on the trade market. They’re viewed as being “opportunistic” instead of a seller, Afseth writes, and whatever moves Dallas makes will be geared toward improving the team’s “long-term outlook.”
According to Afseth, the Mavs want to see Kyrie Irving play alongside Cooper Flagg and believe the star guard can complement the rookie forward and assist in Flagg’s development. Irving’s name is notably not among the aforementioned group.
While the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors are reportedly expected to among the suitors for Davis, sources who spoke to Afseth expressed skepticism about Davis’ fit in Detroit and Atlanta, with Toronto viewed as the best on-court landing spot of the group. Still, as Marc Stein recently reported and Afseth confirms, a Davis trade shouldn’t be viewed as an inevitability.
“The Mavericks are going to want to see how this team looks with AD and Kyrie,” one source told Afseth. “There is no sense in trying to just get rid of AD. The market has to be where they want to make a deal. If there isn’t a good enough deal on the table, I don’t see a deal getting done. They’d get another look at the trade market or evaluate an extension in the summer.”
Here are a few more highlights from Afseth’s rumor round-up:
- While Thompson’s on-court contributions have been up and down during his time in Dallas, he has remained a “positive” presence despite the organizational turmoil following the Luka Doncic trade, Afseth reports. If Dallas does end up having serious discussions about Thompson, the team is expected to be “considerate” of Thompson’s desire to play for a contender, Afseth adds.
- The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest storyline on the trade market, but Afseth hears there haven’t been any new developments on that front. Some rival executives still view the Knicks as the favorites to land Antetokounmpo if he’s made available, but the Heat and Spurs are among the other potential suitors for the two-time MVP.
- Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who returned from a 10-game absence on Friday, is not currently available on the trade market, per Afseth. Should that change, the Heat are not viewed as being a strong fit for the two-time All-Star, Afseth continues.
- The Rockets, Timberwolves and Kings are among the teams keeping an eye on point guards ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Afseth.
- The Pacers have done background work on Jazz center Walker Kessler, according to Afseth, who says Tyrese Haliburton is a fan of the fourth-year big man. Kessler, who is out for the year following shoulder surgery, was seeking $120MM+ on a long-term rookie scale extension before the season began, Afseth reports. Kessler will be a restricted free agent next offseason.
Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Nembhard, Mathurin, Walker, Thompson
Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton continues to make progress in his recovery from his torn Achilles, posting a 30-second clip on social media on Monday that showed him running, jumping, and shooting on a practice court (Twitter video link).
However, with Haliburton having already been ruled out for the 2025/26 season, he’s taking some work on the side — Amazon Prime Video formally announced today that the two-time All-Star has been added as a player contributor for the streamer’s NBA broadcasts (Twitter link).
As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star explains, Haliburton’s appearance on Prime Video on Tuesday night will be his first of several over the course of the season. In addition to providing analysis on NBA Nightcap, Amazon’s studio show, the Pacers star will document and give a behind-the-scenes look at his recovery process from his Achilles tear.
We have more out of Indiana:
- Without Haliburton available, the Pacers are leaning more this season on players like Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin to take on starring roles alongside forward Pascal Siakam. That trio combined for 76 points in Monday’s victory over Sacramento and has fueled the team’s stronger play (four wins in six games) as of late, according to Dopirak (subscription required). “Those three guys were great,” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Siakam, Nembhard, and Mathurin on Monday. “… Those three guys are our three leaders, really. I’ve talked to the three of them together a few times in the last week or 10 days. And Benn is in that group now along with (Aaron) Nesmith and (T.J.) McConnell. Those guys are our veteran leaders.”
- After playing just nine minutes in Friday’s game in Chicago, Pacers forward Jarace Walker bounced back on Monday by providing 12 points and three rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Carlisle, who wasn’t pleased with Walker’s effort against the Bulls, was more enthusiastic about what he saw from the former lottery pick vs. the Kings. “I thought he was terrific tonight,” Carlisle said after Monday’s game, per Dopirak. “I don’t think his stats were super gaudy. Twelve points, we needed every single one of those points. He had a huge steal in transition. I don’t know how he pulls some of that stuff off. He just has amazing hands. Nights like Chicago is feedback for young players. His response in practice yesterday was terrific. I just liked his demeanor, his affect and his tone during the game. We need him.”
- One week after making his NBA debut, Pacers two-way player Ethan Thompson made his first career start on Monday, getting a look in the wing role that has been played in recent weeks by Ben Sheppard, Walker, and Garrison Mathews. While Thompson’s numbers – six points and five rebounds – didn’t jump off the page, he had a couple steals and didn’t turn the ball over in his 28 minutes. “He plays a very solid, very even keeled game and he’s helping us,” Carlisle said of Thompson after the win (Twitter link via Dopirak).
- In case you missed it, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier today that the Pacers have been engaged in trade talks in the hopes of finding a long-term answer at the center position.
Pacers Notes: Nembhard, Siakam, Mathurin, Centers
After starting alongside Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton for most of his first three NBA seasons, Andrew Nembhard is preparing to take on a more significant on-ball role in 2025/26 as Haliburton spends the year recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered in June.
“It changes my whole perception of the game,” Nembhard said on Monday, per Joshua Heron of The Indianapolis Star. “Bringing the ball up is a whole new way of looking at the game instead of running off the ball.”
While Haliburton has been Indiana’s offensive engine and lead play-maker since joining the Pacers in 2022, it won’t simply be a matter of plugging in Nembhard as the new point guard and making Pascal Siakam the primary scoring option, according to Siakam, who suggested that replacing Haliburton will be a group effort.
“I think for us, last year and the way we play, it’s always been about team,” the star forward said, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “It’s never been about one person. I think this year it’s not gonna be different. We all are gonna have to do it collectively. I was telling the guys, it’s not going to take one person to replace Ty. We’re gonna all have to do it collectively. That’s the way we have to think about it.”
Siakam is aware that he’ll be one of the players who is asked to take on more ball-handling and play-making responsibilities without Haliburton available. That’s not a problem for the 31-year-old, who got accustomed to operating on the ball and initiating the offense during his time in Toronto.
“I’ve done that in the past,” Siakam said. “I think just watching my last two years you don’t really see some of the other things I’ve done before. I feel like one of the funniest questions coach asked me was, ‘Oh, have you had a triple-double before?’ It was like, “Well yeah, I’ve had multiple.’ I can do that too. I feel like what makes me different is that I can adapt to every situation and I’ve worked on every facet of my game.”
We have more out of Indiana:
- It’s an important fall for Bennedict Mathurin, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension and is on track to join Nembhard in Indiana’s starting backcourt. The fourth-year wing said at media day on Monday that making “better reads and smarter decisions” will be a key to success for him, according to Dopirak. Head coach Rick Carlisle agreed. “We just need him to run hard, shoot open shots that are there and make simple reads offensively. Our game is played best when it’s fast and simple,” Carlisle said, adding that Mathurin will likely see greater defensive challenges too. “… There’s a very good chance he’ll be asked to guard the ball on a lot of situations.”
- Four spots in the Pacers’ starting lineup look set, as Aaron Nesmith will likely join Nembhard, Mathurin, and Siakam in that group. That leaves the center spot up for grabs, with Isaiah Jackson and Jay Huff considered the leading candidates and James Wiseman and Tony Bradley also in the mix. “We have four guys that really are very, very good,” Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “They all bring something different. A lot of this, we just gotta play it out in training camp and the preseason games and see what’s what. I don’t have any preconceived notions as to who’s going to start.” Carlisle acknowledged that Jackson has been working with the starting group in pickup games, but praised the other three centers on the roster and noted that Huff’s ability to shoot and protect the rim will be an “important ingredient” for the club.
- In a separate story for The Indy Star, Dopirak passed along notable media day quotes from several other Pacers players, including T.J. McConnell, who knows that he and a few of his teammates will have to step up as leaders with Haliburton out and James Johnson no longer on the team. “I’ve never been a guy to use my voice too much,” McConnell said. “… James and Tyrese were those constant voices. Not only myself, but others have to step up and have more of a voice, not just when they see something.”
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Discusses Injury Recovery
Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton offered a brief update on his injury recovery in a session with reporters on Saturday, according to Field Level Media (story via Reuters). The two-time All-Star is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, which he suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
“I’m walking now in my boot,” Haliburton said. “Getting closer to walking full time in my shoe. So, that’s exciting for me. It’s kind of like a new benchmark, a new achievement for me. … Just being able to walk, it’s like the small wins right now. Just taking it a day at a time. I have good days, bad days.”
The 25-year-old said he’s trying not to be impatient with the recovery process since he knows he’ll miss the entire 2025/26 season.
“I obviously want to be good tomorrow but I know it takes time,” Haliburton said. “The team has already ruled me out for the year, so I’m in no rush. It’s just about getting 100 percent, not necessarily as fast as I can, but getting 100 percent is important. I don’t want to come back and be 85, 90 percent. I want to be able to come back at 100, so I’m just taking my time through that.”
Haliburton also said he and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark have been supporting each other as they both battle injuries, writes Joshua Heron of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). The No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft has missed the Fever’s past 14 games with a groin injury and has battled soft-tissue issues throughout the season.
“It sucks that she’s been hurt for as long as she has. But just for us to be able to communicate even in our recovery, we lift at the same time, so it’s just us two in the weight room,” Haliburton told reporters. “We spend a lot of time together. It’s good to have each other to lean on in a time like right now.”
Tyrese Haliburton Shares Injury Rehab Update
While hosting a youth basketball camp in Wisconsin on Friday, Tyrese Haliburton addressed his recovery from the Achilles tear that forced him to miss the majority of Game 7 of the NBA Finals and will sideline him for the entire 2025/26 season, expressing eagerness to eventually rejoin the Pacers.
“It’s been up and down. I’m finally walking without the use of crutches or a scooter or anything, so that’s exciting for me,” Haliburton said, as recorded by Kyle Malzhan of WFRV (Twitter video link).
While the road back to health is a long and, at times, frustrating one, Haliburton seemed encouraged by the initial milestones he has hit so far.
“I have good days and bad days… I think every couple weeks, it’s kind of like a new achievement, I guess, in terms of my recovery,” he said. “I think over the next couple weeks, we’ll get closer to me being able to wear shoes full-time without a boot and being able to walk and stuff like that.”
Haliburton was candid about the mental challenges of the recovery process and how he has been able to find the positive in the grind of rehabilitation.
“It’s a long process. This injury, to get back to 100% is usually about a year long,” he said. “We’re only at week six, week seven now, so we still got a lot of time to get there, but I think every little progression is exciting for me. To be here, to be able to walk, it means a lot to me… I have a great medical team behind me that’s really helping me get things done. I’m progressing as well as I can right now, meeting with my surgeon, meeting with my medical staff at all times.”
After getting so close to winning the first championship in Pacers’ franchise history, Haliburton said he isn’t letting this setback distract him from his goals:
“When you look back on the year that was and how special it was, it means a lot for me. When I am able to get back to 100% the chase continues, so that’s the exciting part for me.”