It is impossible to replace what Tyrese Haliburton brings to the table, but the Pacers can play much better than they have in his absence.

After participating in the game against Milwaukee on the second night of a back-to-back, the face of the franchise suffered a mild-hamstring strain and is listed as week-to-week. On Wednesday evening, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle shared that Haliburton would be out at least 10 more days after already missing two weeks.

This means that the Pacers will be be without Haliburton for a minimum of 12 games. So far, they're 2-6 during this stretch and face four extremely difficult opponents over the next week. They will see the Knicks at home, travel to play the 76ers Sunday, return home for a game against Houston and then start a two-game road trip with a matchup against Cleveland.

Haliburton could return in the middle of that road trip before the Pacers face the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, but Carlisle said to ask about his status then, not that he would be available. There is no reason to rush the face-of-the-franchise back before is fully ready to go, especially considering the numerous amount of lower-leg injuries he has suffered.

Relying heavily on Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell

His absence means more playing time and responsibility for the five-year guard out of Gonzaga, Andrew Nembhard. In a maximized role, Nembhard has been playing a terrific brand of basketball. The 6-foot-4 point guard is 8th in the NBA in assists per game at 7.8, is shooting a career-high from three-point range at 42.9%. He is also second in assist-to-turnover ratio this season, trailing only his teammate, Tyrese Haliburton.

In the Pacers last two matchups against the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards he reached double-digits in assists and the team was nearly unbeatable in his minutes. Against Dallas in a three-point loss, he was a +15 in 34 minutes and versus Washington in a 13-point victory he was a +17 also in 34 minutes. When he is on the floor, good things are happening -- when he is off the floor, the team looks like a different version of themselves.

Hopefully that issue with the Pacers is resolved with T.J. McConnell back and playing a heavier amount of minutes than he did in his first two games against Denver and Dallas. In the lone game he played in both halves, McConnell finished with 7 points, 7 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 steal and was a -4 versus Washington. While you would like to see his plus-minus number in the positives, the key is that the Pacers --with a weakened bench unit-- can stay afloat when the starters are getting rest.

Those are great numbers for a backup point guard who played just 14 minutes in the game, and the -4 happened during the third quarter when Indiana was outscored by 5. While he might be slowing down just a bit from the team that made the Finals in 2025, McConnell is still regarded as one of the best backup point guards in the NBA. Having his unique style of play back in full effect, the Pacers can somewhat resemble what they look like with Haliburton.

Nobody can fully replace what Haliburton brings to the floor, but between Nembhard elevating his game to another level and having McConnell back there is a reason to have hope that Indiana can weather this storm.

How Zubac can help make up for Haliburton's absence

Another major factor in making up for Haliburton's absence is getting Zubac more involved in the offense by establishing a low-post presence early in the game. This makes the defense suck into the paint and helps generate better looks from outside. Big Zu looked awesome offensively in the games against Denver, Dallas and Washington, and was terrific on the defensive side against Nikola Jokic, Daniel Gafford and Anthony Davis.

The Croatian big man has looked his best offensively when he takes his time down low. If you see Big Zu try and rush his shot, he often misses badly and looks a little clunky. But when he is able to feel where the defender is at and then use his elite footwork to create a better shot for himself in the post, he typical scores at a higher rate.

As the Pacers continue to feed their big man throughout the game, we will see teams alter their defenses, which will then allow for Zubac to show his passing capabilities. He sees the floor well and typically avoids forcing bad shots in traffic. This element of his game can really help alleviate all of the playmaking responsibilities to Nembhard and Mcconnell. He had 5 assists against a Denver team that was forcing Indiana to beat them from outside and although it didn't result in a win, the team looked much better in his minutes on the floor.

Overall, there is no singular answer to replacing what Haliburton does, but with a little extra help from the top-tier players on this roster and the point guards showcasing their skills, Indiana should be better than what they were the first 6 games without their franchise guard. This opportunity is the perfect time to remind everyone why the front office has so much trust in them, and just how talented they are.