Pacers' Myles Turner Breaks Down Tyrese Haliburton 'Mindset Shift' That Led to Big Win

Jeremy Hanna | Dec 30, 2024

Dec 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket between Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and forward Sam Hauser (30) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have had a tough NBA season, especially compared to last year's success that brought them to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Many experts are pointing fingers at star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has not had the same success this season as he had in the past.

Currently, Haliburton is averaging 17.8 points, 8.7 assists, 3.6 total rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. This is far off from his All-Star season last year when he averaged 20.1 points, 10.9 assists, 3.9 total rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

Fortunately for Indiana, it looks like there may have been a shift for Haliburton on Sunday.

In the Pacers' rematch against the Boston Celtics, Haliburton came alive, recording 31 points, seven assists, six total rebounds, and one steal. His excellent performance led to Indiana upsetting Boston 123-114.

This marked the first time Haliburton had scored more than 20 points in six games, and fans and analysts alike wanted to know where this change came from. For center Myles Turner the answer is simple: it's a shift in Haliburton's mindset.

"It's a mindset shift," Turner said, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indy Star. "I think this season Ty has seen so many different defenses. I think it's in his head sometimes."

"I think that he didn't settle tonight. I think that was really big for him, not settling for anything outside, just continuing to put pressure on the rim. When you start making shots, it forces help, he does what he does best and gets other guys involved."

Haliburton definitely got other players involved. Aside from the All-Star point guard, five other players scored in the double digits. Meanwhile, the Celtics only had four players reach that statistic.

In the end, Haliburton knew that the Pacers needed to stick together if they wanted to beat the reigning NBA Champions, especially after Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum, hit three 3-pointers in a row.

"In the fourth quarter, you know a team like that is never going to go away," Haliburton said. "You just stick together and understand in this building, if a guy gives them a 3, it's like a windmill dunk. The crowd is going to get involved. They're going to give them juice, give them energy when it's needed. It's basketball, we've gotta silence that."

The Pacers definitely did that this past Sunday, and given that they're in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, there is still a solid chance they could replicate their playoff success from last year.

More Pacers: Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sees Indiana Bring in $186M All-Star Big