Return of Pacers' Haliburton from injury is latest big event to shake up the Central Division

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton is back from an Achilles tendon injury to try helping the Indiana Pacers reassert themselves as title contenders.

Much has changed in the NBA Central Division during the two-time all-NBA guard’s year of recovery.

Haliburton tore his right Achilles during Indiana’s Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals, knocking him out for the entire 2025-26 season. During his time away, the Detroit Pistons made a dramatic rise to the top of the Eastern Conference regular-season standings, the Milwaukee Bucks traded two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the division and the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired eight-time all-NBA guard James Harden.

Indiana slumped to 19-63 without Haliburton last season. Now that he’s back in the fold, the Pacers want to show they can get right back to where they were a year earlier, when they were a game away from winning their first NBA title.

“I feel like I’m stronger,” Haliburton said. “I feel like that will help me with more physical matchups, which I’m excited about seeing — how I stack up against more physical defenders as time goes on. And then I think just watching the game and sitting with the coaches and understanding the way they think has helped.”

The only Central Division teams with winning records last season were Detroit (60-22) and Cleveland (52-30). Detroit had the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs but lost a seven-game, second-round series to the Cavaliers, who were swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks in the East finals.

Detroit guard Cade Cunningham, a first-team all-NBA selection last season, believes the Pistons can benefit this year from that playoff experience.

“We wanted to go further than we did,” Cunningham said. “We had a great regular season, but it taught us a lot as far as what playoff basketball is about and what it takes to be successful during that. All those things happen for a reason. Definitely myself, but all of us will be better for it.”

Here’s a rundown of each Central Division team in projected order of finish.

Detroit’s biggest offseason issue got cleared up two weeks ago when Jalen Duren agreed to terms on a five-year, $200 million contract, ending a dispute that had lasted all summer and into the fall. Duren earned his first All-Star Game nod and was a third-team all-NBA selection while averaging 19.5 points, though he struggled in the playoffs.

Now the 6-foot-10 center gets to continue pairing with Cunningham, who finished fifth in the Most Valuable Player balloting last season.

The Pistons added veteran guard Isaiah Joe and forward John Collins in the offseason. They lost veteran forward Tobias Harris to San Antonio and center Isaiah Stewart to Memphis.

The Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018 last season but have been largely overlooked among the contenders going into this season.

Cleveland retains a strong core with Donovan Mitchell and Harden together in the backcourt for a full season along with the addition of Peyton Watson at the wing to go with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt. Harden agreed to terms on a three-year, $97 million deal to stay with the Cavaliers.

“It’s kind of crazy why people don’t mention that (East finals) or just discount it. We’re just going to prove them wrong again,” Mobley said.

Knowing that Haliburton would be returning this year, the Pacers filled the their most glaring need during last season’s trade deadline by acquiring center Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers. Zubac was a second-team selection on the NBA’s all-defensive team in 2024-25. He adds a stronger rebounding presence.

The question is how he fits in with Indiana’s track-style pace. Zubac said he lost some weight to make sure he would be in shape to run the floor like the Pacers prefer.

Everyone else from the core group of Indiana’s conference championship team is back — along with newcomers Larry Nance Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr., who could make an already strong bench even deeper.

New coach Tiago Splitter takes over a Bulls team that has endured four straight losing seasons. Most of the interest surrounding the Bulls this year focuses on 6-10 rookie forward Caleb Wilson, a former North Carolina star taken with the fourth overall pick in the draft.

The Bulls also added 33-year-old guard Norman Powell, who is coming off a season in which he scored 21.7 points per game for the Miami Heat and earned his first All-Star Game selection. Other veteran newcomers include Buddy Hield and Nic Claxton.

New coach Taylor Jenkins had a reputation for getting the most from his players when he was at Memphis from 2019-25. He takes over a roster that lacks star power without Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks added Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis and the draft rights to Nate Ament in the Antetokounmpo trade. Herro, Jakučionis, Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green and rookie lottery pick Brayden Burries give Jenkins plenty of backcourt options.

The Bucks could use a bounce-back season from former Myles Turner, whose numbers dipped last year after heading from Indiana to Milwaukee.

AP sports writers Jay Cohen, Larry Lage, Michael Marot and Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

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