Nearly 16 months after he last suited up for an NBA game, Tyrese Haliburton returned to action in the Pacers’ preseason opener on Wednesday following his recovery from an Achilles tear. As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, getting back up to game speed wasn’t a concern for Haliburton vs. the Timberwolves — in fact, the star point guard felt like he was moving too fast in his first game back.

“It’s the first game, but just got to slow down,” Haliburton said. “There was just a lot of adrenaline. I was hyped to be out there, excited, but I just got to slow down a little bit.”

While it was an important milestone in the recovery process for Haliburton, who had seven points, six assists, and a pair of blocks in 16 minutes of action, the game was special to him for another reason. It was played at the 26-year-old’s alma mater, Iowa State, and he bought out the student section at both ends of the arena, making those tickets available to students on a first come, first serve basis, Collier notes.

“It’s the loudest preseason game I’ve ever been a part of,” Haliburton said. “But had a lot of fun, a lot of special memories I’ve made here and that just adds to it.”

We have more from around the Central:

• Sharing his takeaways from the Pacers’ preseason opener, Tony East of Circle City Spin observes that Obi Toppin was acting as the team’s small-ball center in the first half and playing alongside forwards Pascal Siakam and Jarace Walker. Backup center Jay Huff ultimately saw 17 minutes of action in the second half, but he wasn’t part of the rotation in the “competitive portion” of the game, which East considers noteworthy.
• Bucks general manager Jon Horst tells Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the team is open to engaging in contract extension negotiations with new players like Jaime Jaquez Jr., even before they’ve made their regular season debuts for Milwaukee. With that in mind, Owczarski considers what an extension for Jaquez might look like, speculating that something in the range of $15-18MM per year could make sense for both sides.
• Jalen Duren was a late arrival at training camp following a restricted free agency standoff that lasted virtually the entire offseason, but Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Wednesday that the plan is “definitely” for the big man to suit up during the preseason. Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press has the story, suggesting that Duren’s preseason debut could happen as early as Saturday vs. Washington.
• In his latest mailbag for Pistons.com, Keith Langlois answers questions related to the Pistons’ secondary play-making, what John Collins will bring to the lineup that Tobias Harris didn’t, and whether Ebuka Okorie and Chaz Lanier will crack Bickerstaff’s rotation in 2026/27.