Tyrese Haliburton's performance at the start of the 2024-25 NBA season has raised questions among fans and analysts regarding the Indiana Pacers star's effectiveness. Following the Pacers' 129-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Haliburton expressed his bewilderment over his ongoing slump during a press conference with reporters.
In the defeat against the Bucks, Haliburton displayed one of his more promising offensive outings this season, contributing 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting and notching nine assists over 34 minutes. He matched his season-high by making four three-pointers. However, this performance fell short of the standards set during his previous seasons, where he averaged 20.4 points, shooting 48.3 percent from the field, and 10.4 assists per game across 125 contests. Currently, at 24 years old, Haliburton is experiencing the lowest shooting percentages of his career, with an overall field-goal percentage of just 37.8 percent and 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, a significant dip from his previous seasons where he consistently shot at least 40.0 percent from three-point range.
Haliburton's current struggles appear to be a continuation of a trend that began following a hamstring injury he sustained midway through the 2023-24 season. Initially, he was in the running for the MVP award during the start of the previous season, averaging 23.6 points on 49.7 percent shooting with 12.5 assists through his first 33 games. However, an injury during a game on January 8 against the Boston Celtics sidelined him for 10 of the following 11 contests, and he never fully regained his prior form. Over the last 35 games of that season, he averaged 16.8 points on 45.5 percent shooting and 9.3 assists per game. Additionally, Haliburton was hampered by a reinjury to his hamstring during the playoffs, causing him to miss the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. Although he participated with the U.S. Olympic team in Paris this summer, he managed just three appearances out of six games and was limited to under 10 minutes when he took the court. Reports surfaced, including information from ESPN's Brian Windhorst, indicating Haliburton was managing a minor leg injury during the Olympics, necessitating an MRI. Despite both he and the Pacers refraining from stating that the hamstring issue has resurfaced, it may provide insight into his performance decline over the past year. With their recent losses, the Pacers currently hold an 11th place position in the Eastern Conference with a 6-10 record, having lost five of their last six games and starting 0-2 in the NBA Cup after having previously reached the championship game last season.
