Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best point guards in the NBA, but he is far from flawless. Ahead of the Indiana Pacers' conference finals matchup against the New York Knicks, it is clear that Haliburton has to make one big change--he has to shoot the ball more.
It has already been said before, and it still holds true, but the Pacers are a much better team when Haliburton is aggressive with his shots. In the regular season, the Pacers were 10-2 when the Wisconsin native took 18 or more field goal attempts. Furthermore, the team was a perfect 6-0 when he took 19 or more shots.
The Pacers have a fantastic record when Haliburton takes a lot of shot attempts. However, that does not happen too often. In the playoffs, Haliburton has had just one game so far with 20+ field goal attempts, and it was during Indiana's one-point overtime victory to close out the Milwaukee Bucks series.
New York presents a real challenge to the Pacers, and even more so considering they have homecourt advantage. It is important that the Pacers maximize their talent as much as possible to advance to the NBA Finals, and that includes rocking with a more aggressive Haliburton.
Tyrese Haliburton is crucial to the Pacers' success
The Pacers are just four wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance in over two decades, and a big reason for that is because of Haliburton's play. He is the perfect fit in the team's offensive system, and he is their engine. Indiana can only go as far as Halibuton will take them. This was evident last year, and it is becoming even more clear this season.
Haliburton is one of the best passers and playmakers in the NBA today, and his selfless style of play has benefited the Pacers far more than it has hurt them. However, being selfless can only get you so far, especially in the playoffs. The Pacers need Haliburton to play superstar-level basketball against the Knicks, and it is time for the Iowa State alum to start taking more shots for himself in order to do so.
It is fair to say that it does not make sense to fix what is not broken. The Pacers are in the conference finals again, and they are fresh off an upset of the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers. While that is true, adjustments are key to playoff success. The Pacers have done well so far, but for them to make it to the NBA Finals, they need to take it to another level, and that starts with Haliburton.