Tyrese Haliburton was considered a fringe top-15 player in the NBA entering his fifth pro season this year. The point guard was one of the breakout stars of last season by leading the Indiana Pacers’ super fast, super efficient offense with a spectacular blend of playmaking and long distance shooting. Haliburton was so good that Indiana locked him up to a $244 million contract extension, traded multiple future first-round picks to get him a co-star in Pascal Siakam, and also saw him earn a spot on USA Basketball’s 2024 Paris Olympics roster.
Haliburton’s breakout campaign last year hit a snag when he suffered a hamstring injury on Jan. 8 against the Boston Celtics. Ever since, the guard’s production has taken a massive hit, and he’s still searching for answers on how to get right.
The Pacers fell to 6-10 on the young season on Friday night with another loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. An Indiana offense that finished No. 2 overall in efficiency last season while playing at the league’s second-fastest pace now ranks No. 16 in efficiency and No. 10 in pace. Haliburton’s diminished play has in part drained the Pacers of their identity. This isn’t the same high-octane offense in feel or execution that it was last year.
Haliburton spoke with reporters on Friday about what’s gone wrong this year after the Bucks loss. He sounded like a broken man who can’t explain why he’s struggling so much this season.
Last year, Haliburton was averaging 20.1 points and 10.9 assists per game. He shot 40.3 percent from three on 8.1 attempts per game before the injury on Jan. 8, but only 32.3 percent from three after the injury.
Through 16 games this season, Haliburton is averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 assists per game. His three-point shot is worse than ever, at 29.4 percent from deep on almost eight attempts per game.
Haliburton only missed a couple weeks with the injury last year, returning quickly in part so he could qualify for a super-max contract extension via All-NBA status. He just hasn’t looked healthy since. Essential Pacers blogger Caitlin Cooper has pointed out that Haliburton’s production is much worse on the road than it is at home. It sure seems like there’s an injury here that’s especially hard to deal with away from his own bed. He just doesn’t look like the same quick-hitting offensive supernova anymore.
Head coach Rick Carlisle has posited that the officials allowing more physicality after the All-Star break has hurt Haliburton, and also suggested that trading for Siakam slowed down their run-and-gun offense to an extent that took away what made Haliburton special.
A hamstring injury can be a fragile thing. Your body can overcompensate in other places and lead to new injuries. That’s the best bet for what’s happened at Haliburton so far. At 24 years old, he should be at his absolute physical peak. Instead, it feels like his body is breaking down years before he should be entering his prime.
The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, with Haliburton putting together a tremendous second round series against the New York Knicks. The expectations were always going to be higher this year with a full season of Siakam, but so far Indiana is badly struggling to live up to it. At the moment, the Pacers look like a play-in team, and even that’s only because they play in the pitiful Eastern Conference.
Haliburton is one of the most entertaining players in the league when he’s right. Even he doesn’t seem to know when that’s going to happen again.