If the first half of last season was a breakout for Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, the start of this season shows how hard it is to keep that level of success.
Indiana (6-10) has lost three games in a row and five of its last six after a 129-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. The Pacers are 0-2 in the NBA Cup after finishing second in the event last year, when it was called the In-Season Tournament.
One reason for the team’s struggles is a slow start from Haliburton, who won a gold medal with Team USA over the summer after earning third-team All-NBA honors last season, helping the Pacers make a surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals.
Haliburton is shooting just 37.8% overall and 29.4% from three-point range, down from 47.7% overall and 36.4% from beyond the arc last season. His scoring has dropped from 20.1 points last season to 15.5 this year. He’s also averaging 8.5 assists per game after leading the league with 10.9 assists last season.
“I’ve got to be better,” Haliburton said.
This tournament was a big opportunity for Haliburton last year. He even mimicked Milwaukee star Damian Lillard’s “Dame Time” celebration by pointing to his wrist while making a three-pointer during a 27-point, 15-assist performance in a semifinal win over the Bucks.
Now, Haliburton is trying to find answers. Although he scored 18 points and had nine assists on Friday, he didn’t see the performance as a step forward. Most of his points came late in the game as the Pacers tried to catch up.
“I’ve just got to keep trusting myself, working hard, trusting my teammates,” Haliburton said. “I’ll figure it out.”
Friday’s performance followed a tough stretch where Haliburton shot just 30.3% (20 of 66). When asked if he knew what was holding him back, Haliburton said, “No, I don’t.”
The Pacers’ struggles go beyond Haliburton. Injuries have also hurt the team, as Aaron Nesmith has missed three weeks with a sprained ankle and Andrew Nembhard hasn’t played since Nov. 6 due to a knee injury.
Pascal Siakam, the Pacers’ forward, didn’t want to use the injuries as an excuse for the team’s struggles.
“This is the NBA, man,” said Siakam, who scored 25 points on Friday. “It happens to everyone. You can’t use it as an excuse.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle saw some positives in the team’s play on Friday, even though they never led in the game. The Pacers trailed by as many as 25 points in the third quarter and were still down by 20 with less than 10 minutes left, but they cut the deficit to six points midway through the fourth quarter.
“It’s something to build on, as tough as it’s been,” Carlisle said.
Carlisle mentioned that the Pacers seemed more connected at times during the game, which has been a problem in other games this season. He pointed out that issues on one end of the floor would often affect their play on the other end as well.
“We got together yesterday and talked about it in pretty great detail and had some real honest talk about it,” Carlisle said. “We did a lot of listening to the players. They did a lot of talking to themselves about it.”
The benefits of that conversation were clear in the Pacers’ second-half comeback on Friday, but they still lost, finishing an 0-3 road trip. Now, they will return home for their next four games, hoping to continue improving and start winning.
They don’t have to look far for inspiration. Friday’s opponent, the Bucks, started the season 2-8, but they’ve now won five of their last six games and moved up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
“Right now, it can’t just be about the ball and who’s touching it and who’s getting shots,” Carlisle said. “It’s got to be about the entire team. It’s got to be about the challenges that we’re up against and what we’re representing.”
“We’re representing a great organization, a great state, a great fan base. And now we have a very important week ahead of us. Nothing will come easy this year – nothing.”
