What Tyrese Haliburton's injury means for his Team USA status

With the Pacers going down 0-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals and Tyrese Haliburton's status for Game 3 in question, some of the focus must shift to his planned spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As we all know by now, Tyrese Haliburton's re-injury of his left hamstring has put him in a questionable spot for the rest of the postseason. At the moment, it is unknown if Haliburton will play through his injury in Game 3 on Saturday or if the pain is too much and he sits out. Either way, this re-aggravation of his left hamstring has naturally put his status for the 2024 Olympics into question.

When Haliburton was selected for the 2024 Paris Olympic team in April, Pacers fans were conflicted. Most of them were happy for the point guard, who is the first Pacer to make Team USA since Paul George's addition to the 2016 Rio Olympic Team.

However, there were a bunch who were concerned about Haliburton's recovery from his hamstring injury suffered in January. For months, Haliburton was clearly suffering the effects of that injury and only recently seemed to have recovered. Prior to his selection to the Paris team, Pacers fans were hoping for Haliburton to get an extended period of rest following the playoffs for his hamstring to fully recover.

Now, however, Haliburton seems to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. With his status for Game 3 still up in the air and his full intention to play for the Olympic Team still there, Haliburton may not get the extended period of rest that he needs to fully recover his injury. This raises questions on if him playing in Paris is worth it. On one hand, it is a fantastic experience for the 24-year-old Haliburton to play alongside his peers on one of the biggest stages in basketball after a deep playoff run.

However, if Haliburton's injury is as serious as it's made out to be, it may be wise for him to cut his losses and withdraw from the Olympic team. The last thing Haliburton needs is to put even more strain on his hamstring, and a summer of playing basketball overseas certainly won't do him any good if he is in pain.

Of course, this is only speculation at this point. Haliburton's status for Game 3 is not confirmed yet, but by the looks of it, there is a chance he will miss Indiana's first home Conference Finals game in 10 years. Depending on his status for these upcoming games, we will know if Haliburton participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics is a wise move or not.