The 2 biggest challenges the Pacers are facing so far this season

After their Eastern Conference Finals appearance last season, many expected the Indiana Pacers to take another step this season and inch closer to title contention. In the offseason, they made few external roster moves, indicating that they were happy with the roster as currently constructed. Unfortunately for the Pacers, things have not gone their way to begin the 2024-25 NBA season.

A month into the new campaign, the Pacers are 7-10 and own the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, while they have defeated the two participants from last season's NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, the Pacers have also lost games they should have won.

The season is still young, but there are genuine reasons to be concerned about the Pacers. So far, here are the two biggest challenges they have faced during their slow start.

1. Injuries to key players

Arguably the biggest reason for Indiana's rough start is the amount of injuries they have had to deal with. During the first game of the season, James Wiseman, who signed with the Pacers in the offseason, suffered an Achilles injury. Roughly a week later, Isaiah Jackson, their only other backup center at the time, also suffered an Achilles injury. While nothing is official, each big man will likely miss the rest of the season.

in addition to these two, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith have both missed the majority of November due to a knee and ankle injury, respectively. Neither of them has a concrete return timetable. Furthermore, Ben Sheppard suffered an oblique injury and is out for the foreseeable future.

The Pacers have had bad injury luck to begin the season, and it has certainly made it more difficult for the team to find a rhythm.

2. Tyrese Haliburton's inconsistencies

The biggest disappointment for the Pacers so far is star guard Tyrese Haliburton. In his first four full NBA seasons, the Wisconsin native got better each year. His progression culminated in an Olympic gold medal, an All-Star appearance, and an All-NBA Team selection within the last year. However, Haliburton has taken a huge step back this season.

Through 17 games, Haliburton is averaging 15.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.2 steals. Additionally, he is shooting just 37.9% from the field and 30.7% from the three-point line.

Whether it is due to a potential lingering injury or something else, it is pretty clear that not everything is going well for Haliburton. On the court, he is very inconsistent. For example, Haliburton has had four games where he has scored over 20 points. Additionally, he also has four games where he failed to score in double-digits. This includes a 0-point performance against the New York Knicks in the second game of the season.

The Pacers will only go as far as Haliburton will take them. Until he recovers or figures things out, he is unlikely to take them as far as he did last season.