Source: Scott Taetsch / Getty
On January 8th, Indiana Pacers two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton strained his hamstring in the Pacers 133-131 win over the Boston Celtics. Things have not been the same since for Indiana or Haliburton.
Haliburton then missed ten of the next eleven games. He appeared in the Pascal Siakam debut game and had a great showing. Indiana’s franchise player scored 21 points and dished out 17 assists with 0 turnovers. Haliburton woke up the next morning with soreness and the team shut him down for five more games.
In the 15 games since his return, he’s only led the team in scoring once. A 25-point and 13-assist game against the Detroit Pistons. That’s the only game he’s looked like himself since injuring the hamstring.
- First 34 games – 23.5 ppoints, 12.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds
- Last 15 games – 14.5 points, 8.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds
During that stretch, he’s eclipsed 20 points three times. He has scored 15 points or fewer in seven games, including one scoreless game. Perhaps Haliburton is starting to wear down mentally and physically?
Tyrese truly didn’t have much time off during the All-Star break because of visits across the city, three-point shootout, skills competition, and the game itself.
- Since All-Star Game – 13.3 points, 9.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds
Rick Carlisle wants to say “it’s not a Tyrese thing” but it’s the top reason for their shortcomings as of late. Indiana is 17-8 when Haliburton scores 20+ points. They are 16-6 when he scored 20+ points and recording 10+ assists.
Additionally, his shot from distance isn’t going through the hoop at a high clip. Only nine of his forty-one attempts (21.95%) have gone through since the All-Star Game. He made 10 in that game alone. When he makes 2+, they are 22-12.
Indiana and Haliburton are not in a position where they can afford to rest him either. He has to play in 16 of the final 20 games to be eligible for season awards. Haliburton can make around an additional $40M dollars if he’s nominated for All-NBA. Also, the Pacers are trying to avoid the Play-In Tournament.
- 6 games behind Cleveland Cavaliers for 3rd place
- 2.5 games behind New York Knicks for 4th place
- 2 games behind Philadelphia 76ers for 5th place
- 1.5 games behind Orlando Magic for 6th place
- 1 game behind Miami Heat for 7th place
Indiana still has games left against Timberwolves, Thunder (two), Cavaliers (two), Orlando, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Bulls (two).
Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner have only started seven games alongside Haliburton. Indiana is 3-4, but that includes two games where Nesmith was returning from injury and games with Haliburton on a minutes restriction.
- Wins – Charlotte, Houston, New York
- Losses – Golden State, Charlotte, New Orleans, San Antonio
- Averaging 112.9 ppg (scoring 120+ twice)
- 3 of the 9 lowest scoring games of the season with this starting five
- Giving up 118.1 ppg
The optimistic Paces fan thinks that he’s just in a slump and needs to be aggressive to get out of it. A pessimistic one believes Haliburton isn’t fully healthy, needs a break, but can’t because of financial ramifications and the team needing him.
Either way, Indiana needs the best version of Haliburton moving forward in order to achieve the success the franchise desires this season.
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