The regular season is officially over, and the Indiana Pacers are set to begin the playoffs on Saturday afternoon against the Milwaukee Bucks. As the No. 4 seed, the Pacers secured homecourt advantage for the first time since 2020 and will look to go on another deep playoff run after last year's conference finals appearance. As the Pacers look to shock the basketball world again, they will rely heavily on their top players, especially point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Despite a slow start to the season (and ultimately missing out on an All-Star selection), Haliburton turned things around drastically and now has a case for an All-NBA nod. As the team's point guard, Haliburton is the engine of their high-powered offense, largely because of his playmaking and efficiency. However, if the Pacers want to take it to another level, Haliburton must improve in one specific area to unlock his and the team's full potential.
Tyrese Haliburton has 1 major problem he must fix
The 25-year-old is considered one of the best young point guards in the NBA, and rightfully so. He rarely turns the ball over, is a fantastic scorer, and he has improved a lot defensively. However, arguably his biggest flaw is his lack of aggression, particularly as a scorer.
For Haliburton and the Pacers to elevate to another level, he must become a more aggressive scorer. According to StatMuse.com, Haliburton has scored 20 or more points in just 28 games this season. The Pacers are 25-3 in those games.
The Wisconsin native is an elite talent and deserves to be recognized as the heartbeat of the Pacers' offense. However, he is too passive and leaves scoring on the table. For a team as offense-heavy as the Pacers are, this is far from ideal.
Indiana has plenty of scoring around Haliburton to make up for it, but it is still a problem that must be fixed. The Pacers rely very heavily on Haliburton to lead the way, and he has the ball in his hands more than anybody else on the team. While he is one of the best facilitators and passers in the NBA today, he has the tools to be a threat as a scorer as well.
As the Pacers prepare for their second consecutive first-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, they will aim to do everything they can to end the season of their division rivals. In doing so, they will continue to rely on Haliburton a lot to contribute at each level of the game.