Indiana Pacers hopeful they can be capable squad while Tyrese Haliburton is sidelined

The Pacers will be without their star for a few weeks

Just under one year ago to the date, Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury against the New York Knicks. At the time, the Pacers were 23-18 and sat in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

After the injury, their season fell apart. The Pacers went 1-9 in their next 10 games, including a six-game losing streak. They struggled on both ends and grabbed their only win over the Chicago Bulls at home by six points.

By the time Haliburton returned, the Pacers were 24-28. They had a successful run in late February, but they never truly recovered from his absence. His early-January injury changed the Pacers fate in 2023.

Now, the blue and gold are hoping to avoid that reality being the case again. On Monday, Haliburton fell to the floor against the Boston Celtics and he suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He will miss at least two weeks — a minimum of seven games — though it will likely be a little more than that.

Indiana has to hope they can avoid that same fate this season. Right now, they are 21-15, but they are right in the thick of a race for seeding in the Eastern Conference. Orlando, Cleveland, New York, and Miami are all between 15 and 16 losses.

The Pacers have to stay afloat with Haliburton. They couldn't last season, but they think they can this year.

"All eyes forward," center Myles Turner said Monday night. He wouldn't think about last season's struggles at his locker at the moment. "We have a very deep roster. We all play a good, certain style of offense."

Turner said that it's important for the team to stick to its principles during the upcoming stretch. They did that in the second half Monday night. After Haliburton went down in the second quarter, the Pacers outscored the Celtics 79-71 the rest of the way. It got them a much-needed win.

But he still believes there will need to be some tweaks for the blue and gold. He thought the Pacers defense wasn't good enough in the second half of their win on Monday, for example, and that will be an important focus going forward.

Last season, Indiana had a better defensive rating with Haliburton on the bench than on the court. But during his 10-game absence after getting hurt last season, the blue and gold took a major step back on the less glamorous end of the floor.

In six of the 10 games, the Pacers gave up 125 points. Their opponent was over 130 on a few occasions. The blue and gold are equally bad on defense this season, but they have been better of late — their defensive rating is roughly average since December 20.

This year, the Pacers defensive rating is much closer to the same level regardless of if Haliburton is on the court or not. That should give the team some confidence that they won't be miserable on that end of the floor in the next few weeks, a problem that they can't afford without their offensive star.

Last year, the blue and gold had an offensive rating of 112.18 with Haliburton on the bench. This season, that number is 118.71. The on-off difference on offense is actually bigger in 2023-24 than last season, but that is mostly because of the team's all-time best offensive rating this campaign.

In general, the numbers suggest that the Pacers are more capable with Haliburton off the court this season than they were last year. It's obviously still a huge loss — their net rating is positive when their star is playing and negative when he doesn't. But that number is nearly two points per 100 possessions better now than it was one year ago.

"We've got another year of experience. We've added some depth," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said on Monday of how the team can survive without Haliburton. "You saw it out there in the second half. We've been a together group. We've got to stay together."

Last season, the Pacer were 7-19 without Haliburton. This season, so far, they are 1-2. If they can even slightly improve that record from last year, it would go a long way.

Maybe that comes from defensive stability — the team is starting Andrew Nembhard in Haliburton's place. A lineup featuring Nembhard along with Turner, Aaron Nesmith, and Bruce Brown should be able to defend capably.

Perhaps the team finds a survivable offensive level thanks to the growth of Bennedict Mathurin along with Nembhard and the newly-acquired Obi Toppin. They have the pieces to be good-enough on both ends in the upcoming stretch.

Maybe their more experienced players — Brown, Turner, T.J. McConnell, and Buddy Hield — can elevate their game. There are many things that could go well for Indiana in their upcoming Haliburton-less stretch. They will hope that as many as possible actually come to fruition.

"I think we have a better mentality moving forward," Nesmith said. He echoed McConnell by noting the importance of the next-man-up mentality. "We'll be alright."

The Pacers get an easier opponent in their first game without Haliburton with the Washington Wizards in Indianapolis on Wednesday night. That will be a chance for the team to straighten out and discover what works. They'll hope to win, and to find repeatable ways to do so until Tyrese Haliburton returns.

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• Sources: Tyrese Haliburton will be re-evaluated after Indiana Pacers road trip with Grade 1 hamstring strain. CLICK HERE.
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• James Johnson's contract with the Indiana Pacers is guaranteed for the rest of the 2023-24 season. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers survive versus Boston Celtics even after Tyrese Haliburton injury. CLICK HERE.
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