Tyler Hansbrough’s teammates couldn’t wait for him to play his first game.

They wanted to see Hansbrough, the Indiana Pacers’ first-round pick last summer, beat up on somebody other than them in a game.

Hansbrough didn’t disappoint in his long-awaited season debut against the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Hansbrough, an energetic player who plays only one way — hard — came off the bench to score 13 points and grab five rebounds in 14 minutes.

The power forward had been sidelined with a right shin problem since the end of July.

“We had all been waiting to see Tyler play because we had all seen him in practice and we know how aggressive he is,” forward Danny Granger said. "(The Wizards) got a taste of it. It was fun to see him play.’’

Hansbrough, who was limited to a maximum 16 minutes, received a loud ovation when he checked in for the first time with 4:31 remaining in the first quarter.

Hansbrough missed his first shot — a 15-foot jumper — two minutes into the game and got his second one rejected by Andray Blatche five seconds after that.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Hansbrough said. “It was more difficult because I was fighting some nerves. I just wanted to play the game, didn’t want to go out there and try to do anything spectacular. I just wanted to get in a flow of things and get a feel and play my game.”

Hansbrough’s jitters went away in the second half. He had nine points in the second half and bullied his way in the paint to go 7-of-10 from the free throw line.

“Tyler is like a big-man linebacker,” Granger said. "He’s going to get from point A to point B and take some people along with him in the process. . . . He’ll take some people out from other teams. He’s so physical, he’s one of those guys you definitely want on your team.’’

Hansbrough said his shin felt fine after the game. It’s unknown how long his minutes will be monitored.

“(He was) a little rusty in a lot of areas, but he’s going to be in the attack mode at the offense and defensive end. He’s going to go after every rebound,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “I’m very pleased with him. I think he’s going to be a heck of an NBA player.”

Hansbrough’s debut comes at a time where the Pacers need as many healthy bodies as possible in the frontcourt.

Starting power forward Troy Murphy (back) is doubtful for Wednesday’s game against Golden State and veteran Jeff Foster is still at least two weeks from playing because of a sprained right ankle.

“It’s good to have Tyler out there,” point guard T.J. Ford said. "I don’t think he did anything that none of us expected. We play with him in practice every day, so we know how hard he goes. I think he fit right in.

“Tyler didn’t force anything, he let the game come to him. He’s going to have an impact for us.”