Tyrese Haliburton Heavily Struggles Yet Again, Should Pacers Be Concerned?

Jeremy Hanna | Nov 10, 2024

Nov 8, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts at the end of the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Without a doubt, guard Tyrese Haliburton is one of the Indiana Pacers most standout players, especially after leading the league in assists last season and being named to the All-NBA Third Team and an NBA All-Star for the second time.

However, you wouldn't think that if you looked at his stats this season.

Across nine games, Haliburton has averaged 14.7 points, 7.7 assists, 4.6 total rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. This is significantly less impressive than last year when he averaged 20.1 points, 10.9 assists, 3.9 total rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

This most recently culminated in the Pacers' game against the Charlotte Hornets where Indiana lost 103-83. This was particularly brutal because the Hornets managed to outscore Indiana 52-19 in the last 18 minutes of the game.

Unfortunately, Halburton didn't seem to have an offensive presence in that game at all, as noted by Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star.

"[Haliburton] posted nine assists and he had a few nice sequences, but he finished with six points on 2 of 11 shooting," Dopirak said. "He missed on all four of his 3-point shots and missed three shots within 3 1/2 feet of the basket and made just 1 of 5 field goals in the paint."

"Haliburton is trying to make up for his offensive struggles on defense, and he did grab seven rebounds and a steal with a few noticeable stops, but Haliburton is an All-Star, All-NBA player and max-contract investment because he supercharges the Pacers' offense."

Naturally, this brings up the question about whether the Pacers should be concerned about his shift in offensive production. The answer? Not at all.

While his last game was terrible, Haliburton has still contributed significantly across other games this season. In fact, in the four games leading up to the loss against the Hornets, he managed to score in the double digits every game and recorded over 11 assists in three of them.

Additionally, there are reports that Haliburton has been dealing with a hamstring injury that he's had since the playoffs. If that's the case, then all he really needs is time to get back to last season's standards.

Right now, the Pacers are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets. They have proven time and again to be a gritty team that can get the win when necessary. And a large reason for that is because of Tyrese Haliburton.

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