There was never any doubt about Tyrese Haliburton's importance to the Indiana Pacers' offense as their star point guard. But in case there ever was a question about it, that should no longer be the case, given Indiana's start.
Through their first seven games of the season, the Pacers are averaging just 23.9 assists per game, which ranks as the third-worst in the NBA, according to NBA.com. For some context, the Pacers finished third last season (29.2 APG) and first the season before (30.8 APG).
Haliburton's absence is not the only reason this number has dropped for Indiana. The team is also without Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, and they are dealing with injuries to other point guards, such as Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell.
However, this is still likely the leading cause.
Without the Wisconsin native, the Pacers' offense loses most of its dynamic. Haliburton excels in Indiana's system because he can push the tempo, make quick decisions, and facilitate at a high level. But even on top of that, he is a legitimate scoring threat, averaging 19.5 points on 48.2% shooting from the field as a Pacer. This opens possibilities up for other players to get open, which in turn makes the team's offense so elite.
The Pacers rely so heavily on ball movement because of their system, so everybody eats. However, that is not the case for them this season, and until Haliburton comes back, that might just be their new reality.
The Pacers will continue to struggle without Tyrese Haliburton
They still have a good team even without their star guard, but the Pacers' whole offense revolved around him. Now, they are forced to navigate through life without him (temporarily, of course), which makes things more difficult for everybody else.
Not having Haliburton on the court puts so much pressure on everybody else on the team. He is exceptional at making his teammates better by setting them up for success thanks to his elite playmaking. Plus, just on a more direct note, Indiana is without its best player, who can provide value in every area on offense. This puts opposing defenses' focus on other players, such as Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith, which only makes life harder for them.
Now, it's up to the rest of the team to generate offense without him, whether it be needing to step up as a shot-creator or playmaker. Even in a best-case scenario, the Pacers will not be able to replace Haliburton's value with the players they currently have on the roster. And they're already seeing that firsthand.
Fortunately for the Pacers, they will have Haliburton back on the court before they know it. And once he returns, they should be able to make a push toward re-entering the title picture. Until then, though, they will have to stay float with him. And as it stands, this is a tall task that may be too much to overcome.