Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton honors James Wiseman following Achilles injury
10/25/2024 04:26 PM
James Wiseman’s NBA career has not gone as planned, and his fifth season in the league is already over before it began. Wiseman tore his Achilles in the Indiana Pacers’ season opener on Oct. 23 leading to season-ending surgery the following day.
Following Wiseman’s catastrophic injury, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton honored his downed teammate during pregame warmups in Madison Square Garden on Oct. 25. Haliburton wore Wiseman’s practice jersey over his long-sleeve warm-up shirt ahead of Indiana’s road clash against the New York Knicks.
Tyrese Haliburton showing love for James Wiseman pic.twitter.com/1nqGN7FQ63
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 25, 2024
Wiseman came off the bench and lasted just five minutes in the game before going down after attempting a three-pointer. He scored six points in his limited minutes against his former team, the Detroit Pistons. Without him in the lineup, Obi Toppin filled in as backup center, with second-round rookie Enrique Freeman seeing seven minutes off the bench.
Initially entering the league as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 Draft, Wiseman spent three years with the Golden State Warriors. He appeared in just 39 games as a rookie before missing his entire second season with a torn meniscus. During his third year, Wiseman was traded to the Pistons, where he would spend the next year and a half.
Pacers seek 2-0 start to 2024-2025 season
Despite the loss of Wiseman in the Pacers’ first game of the year, Indiana went on to beat the Pistons on the road, 115-109, in its season opener. The Pacers were led by 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocks from Myles Turner to hold off Cade Cunningham’s game-high 28 points.
For their second game of the year, Indiana remained on the East Coast for their first season matchup against the New York Knicks. The teams will meet for the first time since the Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the 2024 playoffs to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
New York is coming off a lopsided 132-109 loss to the Boston Celtics in their first game. Miles ‘Deuce’ McBride was the only player on the Knicks to find any success on offense with 22 points off the bench to match Jalen Brunson for the team lead. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 37 points while Derrick White and Jaylen Brown both also scored over 20.
Once the Pacers finish up their current road trip in New York, they will return to Indianapolis. The team’s home opener will be on Oct. 27 when they host the new-look Philadelphia 76ers in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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