Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was more than the typical breakout star midway through 2023-24, he was an early-season MVP candidate.
32 games into the season, Haliburton averaged 24.2 points, 12.7 assists, and 1.9 stocks per game, shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3. The Pacers were 17-15, a vast improvement from the previous season, when they finished 35-47.
Interestingly, 32 games into the 2022-23 season, the Pacers had a 16-16 record. The wheels began to fall off once Haliburton suffered elbow and knee injuries, Indiana going 1-9 without Haliburton. However, Haliburton missed 26 games in 2022-23 with myriad maladies. The Pacers were 7-19 in those games overall, making Haliburton the difference between being a lottery team and a middling team.
Rick Carlisle Reveals Reason for Tyrese Haliburton’s Slump
That doesn’t appear to be the case this season, as the Pacers are 7-6 without Haliburton largely due to the blockbuster acquisition of All-Star forward Pascal Siakam. Yet, they’re 13-12 with Haliburton since he’s returned, failing to take the expected next step.
The Pacers are still 40-32 on the season. As a result, they’re presumably playoff-bound. Nonetheless, having two All-Stars instead of one should theoretically lead to better results. That hasn’t been the case in Indiana and the reason is quite simple.
Haliburton is playing like a shell of himself.
In the 26 games he’s played since returning from his hamstring injury, he’s averaging 16.2 points, 9.6 assists, and 1.9 stocks per game, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from 3. It’s this last number that’s especially concerning. Players don’t usually have slumps that last half of the season.
This may be because the two-time All-Star is still healing from his hamstring injury. According to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, Haliburton isn’t completely healthy yet, though he’s progressing.
“He’s making constant progress,” Carlisle says, per the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak. “It may not be huge leaps, but he is making progress. Big difference now between how he’s moving and how he was moving two-three weeks ago.”
Haliburton isn’t exactly moving gingerly on the court. Nonetheless, the lower-to-upper body energy transference needed to be an elite 3-point threat is affected by lower leg injuries. The significance of hamstring muscles (of which there are three) is their role in extending the hip, flexing the knees, and absorbing kinetic energy while walking, running, or jumping.
It’s Not Just His Jumper
Haliburton’s effectiveness beyond the arc isn’t the only part of his game that’s taken a hit.
He’s also seen a -3.1-point drop (58.3 to 55.2) in his field goal percentage on drives. Though not as pronounced as the impact on his 3s, Haliburton’s reduced impact inside and outside the 3-point line prevents the Pacers from reaching their full potential.
