Before you jump to conclusions, I am not saying that Tyrese Haliburton is the problem. The team is pretty clear about how they feel about him. It was pretty well documented this past season, though, that the Pacers team went as far as Haliburton went. When he had a good game, the Pacers typically won. If it was an off night, the team had a much more difficult time making it into the win column. The Pacers won 70% of the time when Haliburton scored fifteen or more points but only won 42% of the time when he did not reach that mark, according to StatMuse. In Haliburton’s career with the Pacers, this trend continues.
The Pacers have won almost 65% of the time when Haliburton scores at least 15 points in his three full seasons. While no single game is ever on the shoulders of any one player, this is a trend and seemed to have a significant impact on the Pacers' record this past season. Similarly, the Pacers are 18-30 when Haliburton does not play at all over the last three seasons.
With Haliburton sidelined for this upcoming season, the Pacers will need to solve the problem of not having their engine on the court. Whether Haliburton is scoring, dishing out double-digit assists, or simply pushing the pace, he makes the Pacers great. How can the Pacers stay competitive when their cornerstone player is sitting on the bench? There are two solutions the Pacers should lean into.
Split Tyrese Haliburton’s talents between Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin
It is nearly impossible to recreate a star player, but if the best parts of Haliburton are divided between two strong talents, the effects might be similar. While Pascal Siakam already carries a heavy load, adding assists to his plate seems feasible. He is in line to be even more of a focal point in the offense this season, so shifting some of that emphasis from scoring to distributing would make him more dangerous. Similarly, relying on “score first” Bennedict Mathurin to increase his points per game from 16.1 up into the low 20s would make a big difference.
Keep Pushing Defense
Even if Siakam and Mathurin are able to pick up some offensive slack, it likely won’t cover the gap left by Haliburton, which is why the Pacers need to shift their emphasis even more toward the defensive side of the ball. Just like the shift from 2024 to 2025 elevated defensive priority, continuing to do so next season may alleviate the gaping hole left by the Pacers’ injured All-Star.
While this is an incredibly difficult problem to solve, the results would have a ripple effect when Haliburton returns, making this team that much better. Even now, T.J. McConnell has told the world about the Pacers: "We're not done" (via The Players' Tribune). By no means is this upcoming season a foregone conclusion, but the formula will be different than last season.