With Tyrese Haliburton on the shelf for the entirety of next season due to an Achilles injury, the expectation is that the Indiana Pacers will take a gap year and become title contenders again upon his return. In theory, this makes sense, but it completely ignores one legitimate possibility: what if Haliburton never returns to form?
As has been the case for most NBA players in recent history, suffering an Achilles injury is almost like a death knell for their career. Either they return as a complete shell of their former selves, or they do not return at all.