In game seven of the 2025 NBA finals, Tyrese Haliburton went down early in the first quarter with a torn achilles. Not only did the Indiana Pacers lose their star player for the game, but the subsequent season. 

For Pacers fans, going from the finals to the bottom of the Eastern Conference has not been easy. Many Pacers fans such as senior Aiden Bower are disheartened by Indiana’s performance this season, “it’s pretty disappointing based off of last year… and this year we’re just sucking,” Bower said.

 Other fans like senior Camren McGraw are more optimistic about this year, “It’s a necessary tank for a good draft pick kind of like the Spurs did with Tim Duncan.”

The shining light keeping Pacers fans going is the historic upcoming draft class. With all three top prospects, Daryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer, being seen as potentially generational talents, Pacers fans are hopeful to see one of them come to Indianapolis. When asked who he had liked to see from the draft, McGraw said, “I’m a big fan of Daryn Peterson but I don’t think we need a shooting guard. I like a guy like AJ Dybantsa more since he’s like a two-way kind of guy.” Bower also thinks AJ Dybantsa is the best fit for the Pacers, “he’s a little taller… we need a small forward more.” 

With the team struggling, the games are inevitably not very enjoyable to watch. Because of this, Pacers fans have latched onto other teams to still bring enjoyment to this season. “I’ve been watching the Utah Jazz. I love the Keyonte George breakout season. I like that they’ve stayed committed to Lauri Markkennen and not looking at any trades right now. They’re developing right now but will likely be contending in a year,” McGraw said.

 Bower has turned back to an old favorite, “I’ve been a big Hawks fan my whole life. We traded Trae Young which was a little disappointing to see but I still watch just because they’ve always been one of my favorites,” Bower said.

Overall, despite this tumultuous stage for the Pacers, fans remain hopeful for potential draft prospects combined with Haliburton’s return. In the meantime, fans are finding other ways to still watch and enjoy NBA basketball.