How Tyrese Haliburton's connection with Ivica Zubac will be 'a lot of fun'

INDIANAPOLIS — Playing with Ivica Zubac for the first time on Wednesday night, Tyrese Haliburton started to see how great they could be in the two-man game.

Zubac has been with the Pacers since February, when Indiana sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and two first-round picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for the 29-year-old center. But a flurry of injuries — Haliburton was out the entire 2025-26 season because of an Achilles tear and Zubac played just five games following the trade because of ankle and rib injuries — meant the two hadn’t yet played together.

Now, with the two healthy for training camp and the preseason, they’re working on how they can play together.

And the early connection was evident in the Pacers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the Iowa State campus in Ames, Iowa.

“You can practice as much as you want, but game reps are always going to be different,” Zubac said at Pacers practice on Friday. “Just getting on the floor for the first time with him, with P(ascal Siakam), the whole starting unit felt good, just to see what looks were gonna get out there, how other teams are gonna guard us, how we use our offense.”

Zubac set a screen for Haliburton on the 3-point line in the second quarter, allowing Haliburton to get an open shot near the elbow. Another screen came around the 3-point line later in the quarter, and Haliburton stepped to the side for a wide-open 3 for his first triple of the game.

What Zubac wasn’t necessarily anticipating was how fast Haliburton played.

“I mean, I knew that Hali likes to play fast but I was a little surprised for the first time being back on the court,” Zubac said. “And just learning how he likes his screens. I feel like sometimes I held it too long, and he was waiting for me to roll, and I was still holding the screen … but we talked about it after the game, it’s gonna work out really good.”

That type of pace Haliburton was playing with wasn’t necessarily his regular speed, either. He had some jitters of playing in NBA action for the first time in 472 days, and playing at his alma mater for the first time since 2020.

As the game slows down for him again, Haliburton said, it can get even better.

“I feel like I was playing super fast, but as time goes on and I slow down, I feel like me and Zu’s pick and rolls could become even better,” Haliburton said on Wednesday. “…When Zu sets screens, he’s sitting people. So, if I slow down and give him time to get a good clean hit, I’ll be open and it’ll be easier to make my reads.”

The connection isn’t perfect yet, but that’s what the preseason is for. The Pacers have three more preseason games to find a good flow between Haliburton, Zubac and the starting unit before the regular season tips off on Oct. 21.

“It’ll come in time, but I’m really confident in it,” Haliburton said Wednesday. “I know how good of a player he is, and we all are, but I mean, we all were at halftime like, ‘This is going to be a lot of fun.’ We know we all got to get a lot better, and we will as the season goes on, but it’s been enjoyable.”

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