Tyrese Haliburton out of NBA season 2025-26? Indiana Pacers star faces unexpected setback after fresh health concern

Coach Rick Carlisle announced on Sunday that Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss a couple weeks due to shingles. Due to Haliburton's unplanned two to three-week absence, Indiana will be without an All-NBA playmaker and will need to adjust guard minutes and on-court leadership.

This is significant because his absence disrupts a previously consistent return timeline and short-term preparations. For context, the same virus that causes chicken pox also causes shingles, which manifests as a painful skin rash. Hence, this season, the Pacers are 15-42 without their best point guard.

Indiana Pacers’ coach Rick Carlisle provides update on Tyrese Haliburton’s recovery timeline and temporary absence

Despite being on the team's bench during games, Haliburton hasn't played this season due to the torn Achilles he sustained in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last year. Now, Carlisle told reporters on Sunday that: "It's a very painful thing.. 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…”He further stated:“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."

Instead of changing a long-term rehabilitation strategy, Haliburton's diagnosis modifies the bench and the current rotation. The team's All-NBA point guard will be out of commission for two to three weeks, during which time coaching staff will have to take up the duties he had been performing off the court.

He had previously suffered a right Achilles tendon injury that kept him out of action for the whole season. Now, recovery times for these injuries usually take six to twelve months, and he had been making good progress during his rehabilitation, with complete recovery anticipated. On the other hand, during his initial absence from the bench during the All-Star break, head coach Rick Carlisle later said that Haliburton would be out of the club for two to three weeks due to shingles.

Carlisle stressed the expectation of a full recovery.

Tyrese Haliburton is expected to make full recovery despite rare shingles diagnosis during rehab

Meanwhile, fortunately, Carlisle also stated that the illness had recently appeared and that he should fully recover. The same virus that causes chickenpox can reactivate to develop shingles, which typically manifests as a painful rash on one side of the body, frequently in the form of a stripe of blisters. It is typically frequent in older people, but for a 26-year-old, the diagnosis was a little unexpected.

Additionally, according to the CDC, shingles is a "painful rash illness" that can occur when the virus reactivates in the body. According to the CDC, there have been instances of people contracting shingles more than once, but the majority of people only get it once in their lifetime. Hence, the 25-year-old will probably miss the rest of this season while he heals from the Achilles tear he sustained during the NBA Finals the previous season and also from shingles.