It was never a secret that the Indiana Pacers would miss Tyrese Haliburton this season. He is their most important player, and he is someone who makes everybody around him better.
But more specifically, the Pacers were always going to miss him on offense. He is the engine that keeps everything running because of his elite passing and playmaking, as well as his ability to push the tempo. Haliburton is setting up his teammates better than almost anybody in the league, so being without him for a full season is a tough loss for Indiana.
Over a month into the season, all of that has come true, which was to be expected. What has been a big surprise, though, is how much the team misses him in other areas, including on the defensive side of the ball.
The Pacers are missing Tyrese Haliburton on defense
The Pacers aren't necessarily missing Haliburton's defense directly.
Though the Wisconsin native has improved on defense, and he's far from just a traffic cone on the court, he still isn't a lockdown defender who can shut down guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry, etc.
That's not why the Pacers are missing him defensively.
Instead, it's what Haliburton brings indirectly that helps the Pacers succeed defensively by taking a ton of the offensive load. This opens up more of an opportunity for someone like Andrew Nembhard to be a lockdown defender, which he has proven he can be.
Without Haliburton on the court, Nembhard is now being tasked with taking on a much bigger offensive responsibility. It's now his job to facilitate for others and run the offense. He also needs to score and generate offense for himself and make much more important decisions.
On top of all of that, his defensive responsibilities haven't changed as he is still being tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player.
This is too much for one player to handle over the course of a full season, and while he is still playing well under the circumstances, it's fair to wonder just how much Nembhard is missing Haliburton.
After the Pacers' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, which saw Jamal Murray score 52 points on 19-for-25 shooting, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files pointed out that this is the exact situation where the team misses having the Iowa State alum on the court.
"That was a season-high for Murray and just three points shy of his career best. It’s a lot for any team to overcome, and his outburst allowed Nikola Jokic — the best player in basketball right now — to pick his spots and attack as needed. It’s where the Pacers really miss Tyrese Haliburton, whose presence allows Andrew Nembhard to expend more energy and focus defensively, as well as wing defender Aaron Nesmith," Agness wrote.
Haliburton is never going to be an All-Defensive Team candidate, but the Pacers are quickly learning just how much they benefit from having him on the court on that side of the ball. They currently have a 117.5 defensive rating, which is the 10th-worst in the NBA, after finishing with a 114.3 defensive rating last season (which was the 13th-best).
Fortunately for the Pacers, they should get their star back next season. But until then, they will continue learning just how difficult it is to navigate through life without him, even in ways they maybe never expected.