Pacers Star Addresses Struggles Without Sixers’ Buddy Hield

Tyrese Haliburton is feeling the loss of Buddy Hield, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Since the 2023 offseason, former Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield was considered a likely trade candidate throughout the 2023-2024 NBA season.

Since Hield and the Pacers couldn’t work out an extension, the soon-to-be free agent was a popular name floated around the rumor mill as the 2024 trade deadline approached.

The Philadelphia 76ers, a long-time rumored landing spot for Hield, finally made many fans’ dream scenario come true. After seeing Hield’s name get linked to the 76ers since he was a member of the Sacramento Kings, the Sixers acquired the sharpshooting veteran ahead of their potential 2024 postseason push.

As the Sixers adjust to life with Hield, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is learning to navigate through the final stretch of the 2023-2024 season without the Bahamian sharpshooter for the first time in his young NBA career.

“It’s been weird,” Haliburton told Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George on an episode of Podcast P. “It’s been weird for sure.”

Being in the NBA since 2020, Haliburton has embraced a change of scenery early on in his career. During his sophomore season in Sacramento, the two-time All-Star was sent packing to Indiana to join the Pacers. Haliburton was packaged alongside Hield in the deal between the Kings and the Pacers.

With Hield being the seasoned veteran who became a mentor to a young Haliburton, the Pacers star is going through some understandable growing pains without one of his key teammates.

“With the trade and stuff, it’s been different, and I think on the court is obvious, right?” Haliburton continued. “He’s so prominent in our offense with what we do with a lot of ghost screens and the way we move. His presence shooting on the floor, that opens up a ton for me because you [are] not going to be in as much in the gap if you’re guarding Buddy because you know how he is as a shooter. So it’s been a little different on the court, obviously. But I think off the court, it’s been kinda the biggest adjustment for me. He just has always carried this energy around him, and I think who he is as a person every day, not having that energy has been a little different.”

The Pacers started the 2023-2024 NBA season as one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. At this point, they are 38-31, trailing the 76ers by half a game. 

Indiana first played without Buddy Hield on February 8 this year. Since then, they have posted a 9-8 record. And from a personal standpoint, Haliburton has had his toughest stretch of the year. 

Meanwhile, the Sixers are still testing different roles for Hield. When he first joined the team, the veteran picked up a starting role, averaging 32 minutes in 13 games. Over the last five outings, Hield has seen the court for an average of 23 minutes while coming off the bench.

Overall, Hield has produced an average of 14 points per game in 18 matchups. From deep, he’s attempted 7.6 shots per game, averaging 40 percent. While the Sixers can’t deem their deadline trade a win or not until they get an honest look at the full lineup, which includes a currently-injured Joel Embiid, Hield has brought exactly what’s expected to the table.

Meanwhile, Indiana is still searching for ways to replace that.