Tyrese Haliburton returns to lineup for Indiana Pacers, doesn't miss a beat

Haliburton led the team in scoring in his return

Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton made his preseason debut for the blue and gold on Monday, pouring in 15 points and dishing out eight assists in a win. He didn't look like someone who missed the team's first two preseason games and was figuring out his new-look team.

Instead, he looked like the best player on the floor. When he was on the hardwood, Indiana cruised. They outscored the Atlanta Hawks by 14 with Haliburton on the court, which was crucial in a four-point win.

"He played well. +14 in 23 minutes. Pretty much controlled everything," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. Carlisle was interested in seeing how Haliburton and the other four players in the starting five (Bennedict Mathurin, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin, and Myles Turner) would gel.

In general, the All-Star point guard had no trouble fitting in with that five. He linked up with Toppin a few times early, and his ability to apply early pressure paired well with Brown's speed. They warped defenses and made Indiana's early offense look great.

"I thought it was good," Haliburton said of the group before noting that he feels like he needs to get Mathurin the ball more often. Their partnership is important this season for the growing Pacers.

Haliburton added that the opening five ran well and did what they hoped on offense, but they didn't finish their trips down the floor. Especially on defense, where they gave up 30 points in about 20 possessions, per pbpstats. 

The Hawks didn't have significant shooting numbers against that five-man combination, but they did get to the foul line often. That gave them plenty of easy chances, and the Pacers starters were outscored 30-29.

But the blue and gold won the rest of Haliburton's minutes by 15 points, including a dominant stretch in the second quarter that saw Buddy Hield on the floor with the opening group instead of Brown. That lineup was a +11 in less than five minutes, and Haliburton liked the defense during that frame.

In general, he was happy with what he was able to do in his debut and what it meant for the team. "The ball was moving well," the point guard said. Indiana made 42 shots — 36 of them were assisted.

"I think it's a staple of our offense, getting up and down, just letting Tyrese create," Turner said. He buried a few shots off of a pass from Haliburton.

The Pacers have talked a lot about what they've been doing in practice during training camp. There has been an emphasis on defense and ball movement, and lineups have been mixed and matched.

For someone like Haliburton, who didn't play in the first two preseason games, this was his first chance to show what those practices looked like. Many players on the team, including the star guard himself, have felt better about the tune-up sessions than the games, and Haliburton pointed to the first half of this game against Atlanta as a measuring stick for how they have done in their practices.

A 43-15 second quarter had the Pacers up 73-46 at the break. "Yeah, that's fair," Haliburton said of that half being more like what the team has seen in practice. The first two preseason games, both defeats, were different. "It's a little different when I play vs when I don't," the All-Star guard added. He thinks having most of the full squad was important.

While many things went well, Haliburton still wants to see improvement in some areas. The fouls are still an issue for the blue and gold, and he still thinks that the team's offensive approach is too stale. They need to be more varied.

Playing random, as the Pacers call it, will come with reps and time. For now, though, they are still a growing team that had a positive night with Haliburton back on the court.

"Having him back was big as well," Turner said. Indiana and Haliburton next hit the court on Friday in their preseason finale against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will look to iron out their issues with the season one week away.

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