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Injuries are an unfortunate part of sports and change the course of every NBA season. However, last season seemed more severe than most — a rash of top players missed considerable time, if not the entire season. It changed the complexion of teams and playoff races (not to mention the tanking).
All those injuries a year ago open the door for some prime comeback stories this season. Here are five players returning from injury who can — and should — change the course of their team, and with that, the league.
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Haliburton had a Steve Nash-like impact on the Pacers in the 2024-25 season. It wasn’t just his +14.7 net rating in the playoffs as Indiana made a remarkable run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, it was the way he lifted up the players around him — Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell and more were just better next to Haliburton. Everything came together perfectly for the Pacers during that postseason run (not totally unlike what happened for the Knicks a year later).
Can Haliburton capture that magic again in a different and deeper Eastern Conference?
Haliburton hasn’t set foot on an NBA court in 15 months after tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of those Finals, and the Pacers fell apart without him last season, winning just 19 games (there was tanking involved). They come back this season with a healthy Haliburton and one other big change: Ivica Zubac at center instead of the stretch five Myles Turner. The Pacers will look different, but Zubac does some things Indiana needs. He sets a massive, solid screen, which will be a pick-and-roll advantage for Haliburton, or he can set it off the ball in a secondary action to free a shooter. He’s got great hands and touch around the rim and makes smart, quick decisions. And he’s a big defensive body in the paint.
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However, it all comes back to Haliburton. If he regains the form that lifted the Pacers to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals trips, Indiana has to be considered a contender in the East. It’s all about his bounce-back season.
Maybe Kyrie Irving could have pushed and made his comeback after the All-Star break…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/five-players-facing-critical-comeback-155639169.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-22 15:56:00
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