AMES, Iowa -- Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said he felt like he was playing too fast during Indiana's 123-112 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in its preseason opener at Iowa State on Wednesday night, Haliburton's first game in more than 16 months.
He scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with six assists, one steal and two blocks during his 16 minutes of action.
"It's the first game, but it's got to slow down," Haliburton said Wednesday night. "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."
Haliburton compared himself to a rookie after the game, but he took solace in the fact that although his body was moving too fast, he felt like he could read the floor at his usual speed.
"It'll happen with time," he said. "The only way to really replicate that is game reps against other guys. And that's what that was. So really excited about it.
"There's a ton of improvement that there is to be made on my end and on our team's end, but just excited to be back on the floor."
It had been more than 400 days since Haliburton's last NBA game, when he tore his right Achilles during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He struggled to sleep last night, but he said that had more to do with the anticipation of playing his first game back at Iowa State, where he played for two years in college from 2018 to 2020.
The Pacers had initially scheduled this game for the 2025 preseason, but with Haliburton sidelined last season, the game got pushed back one year.
Haliburton wanted to replicate a college atmosphere Wednesday night, so he bought out the student section at both ends of the arena, so seats were available to students on a first come, first serve basis, prompting a line that wrapped around the block of the arena hours before tipoff. The fans at the front of the line said they began lining up at 11 p.m. the night before.
"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."
Haliburton played all of his 16 minutes during the first half, but fans inside Hilton Coliseum wanted more of the Pacers star.
With Haliburton sitting on the bench during the fourth quarter, fans began to chant "We want Hali."
Haliburton responded by pointing to his feet. His basketball shoes had been left in the locker room, and he was wearing white sandals and socks, a signal that he was done for the night.
"Put your shoes on," the next chant began. Haliburton laughed after the game and said he wasn't tempted.
"Hell no," Haliburton said after the game with a laugh. "I appreciate that the students wanted that as they should, but we have a process."