Tyrese Haliburton is listed as questionable with a back injury for Game 3 against the Knicks, which is no surprise. He's had that same ailment dating back to the first round and played through it, but it has clearly been limiting his effectiveness.
Haliburton played well in the Pacers' Game 2 loss to the Knicks, scoring 34 points to go along with nine assists. He still had moments where he looked slower in getting to the rim and dealt with passive stretches in the game. Injuries both to his back and hamstring haven't made him the same player in the second half of the year.
Here's what's been causing the two-time All-Star's struggles.
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Tyrese Haliburton hasn't been the same since his hamstring injury
These struggles have been a months-long issue for Haliburton. He started the year looking like he had a chance to make First Team All-NBA, leading the Pacers to the In-Season Tournament Finals.
A hamstring injury on Jan. 8 sidelined him for 10 of the next 11 games, and his play dropped off considerably.
| Pre-Hamstring | Stat (per game) | Post-Hamstring |
|---|---|---|
| 23.6 | Points | 16.9 |
| 12.5 | Assists | 9.5 |
| .497 | Field Goal % | .454 |
| .403 | 3-point % | .323 |
Haliburton acknowledged the slump in March, telling reporters, "Never went through a slump like this in my life. S— sucks."
The most noteworthy change in Haliburton post-injury was the giant dip in his 3-point percentage. He had been one of the best pull-up shooters in the league, hitting 39.1 percent of those shots before getting hurt. Since then, he's connected on just 29.1 percent of those shots. He hasn't been able to load up the same on that left leg, and it's clearly affecting his rhythm.
The loss of Buddy Hield has also hampered Haliburton's effectiveness. The Pacers traded Hield away at the deadline, hoping that they could replace some of his prodigious 3-point shooting with Doug McDermott. That hasn't happened — McDermott has played just 17 total minutes in the postseason.
Without that plus spacing around him, Haliburton has not been as effective as a driver.
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Tyrese Haliburton's back issues are concerning
If Haliburton's calf issues weren't bad enough, he's also been going through back spasms that have clearly hampered his mobility.
Haliburton doesn't have the same quickness on his drives. He has not been able to get by center Isaiah Hartenstein on switches through either of the first two games of the second round.
These were the two plays early in the first quarter where you could tell it might not be Haliburton's night. Couldn't attack Hartenstein on the switch. pic.twitter.com/UeVDEVdFgY
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) May 7, 2024
Haliburton took a leap at the beginning of the year because he became a bigger threat to score. When teams had to respect his shot, it opened up his brilliant passing even more. That threat has become diminished, both because of that dip in pull-up 3-point percentage and his lack of burst.
The Knicks have also done a great job of denying Haliburton the ball. Donte DiVincenzo has been in his shirt, preventing him from using screens and blowing up the plays that the Pacers have tried to run. Josh Hart has done a similarly admirable job.
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Tyrese Haliburton's court vision is still there
While Haliburton's scoring has been hampered by all of the factors listed above, his court vision is still very much a factor. He had eight assists in Game 1 and jump-started the Pacers' offense with good outlet passes on a couple of occasions. He threw the pass of the night in the second quarter.
Criminal that we didn't get a replay of this Haliburton pass. He froze Hart with that no-look. pic.twitter.com/sJqKM3s3px
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) May 7, 2024
Haliburton continued to pass the ball well in Game 2, recording nine assists to only two turnovers. Even with limited mobility, he is still having a positive impact on the game.
This Knicks team is far too good to beat unless Haliburton can be the best player in the series. With Jalen Brunson hampered by his own foot injury, he has a chance to do just that.
