During the Indiana Pacers' win over the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Tyrese Haliburton suffered what was believed to be a hamstring injury. Because of the injury, he missed the entire second half and recorded just two points and five assists in 18 minutes.
Haliburton has had issues with his hamstring before. He missed some time in the regular season last year and the last two games of the playoffs because of a hamstring injury. Additionally, he had just a minor role in Team USA's gold medal run during the Olympics because of a leg injury. Naturally, there were reasons to be concerned about the guard's injury, even if he returned from it quickly.
However, head coach Rick Carlisle recently provided an update on Haliburton's injury, and it certainly bodes well for the team's success in the long run.
Tyrese Haliburton has a groin injury, not a hamstring injury
Carlisle recently revealed that, even though it was initially believed that Haliburton suffered another hamstring injury, that is not the case. Instead, the Wisconsin native suffered a groin injury.
Carlisle: "It felt like the hamstring the other night." But apparently it is NOT the hamstring. So that's worth nothing. "This is just his body talking to him. It was a good thing he was pulled at halftime. This is good news. It is NOT the hamstring."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) January 14, 2025
Given that it is not another hamstring injury, there are reasons for Pacers fans to be happy with Carlisle's Haliburton update (even though he still has an injury regardless). Haliburton was forced to miss his first game of the season after suffering this injury, but it is a sigh of relief for Pacers fans that it is not a lingering or re-aggravated injury.
At this point, it is unclear exactly when Haliburton will make his return. However, all things considered, this is as good of a time as any to keep him on the sidelines and be as cautious as possible with his injury.
Prior to last night's loss to Cleveland, the Pacers had not lost in 2025, winning their first six games of the year. Furthermore, the Pacers do not play any back-to-backs until February 3 and 4 (and the All-Star break is less than a month away).
The Pacers are rolling right now and are looking more like a complete team ready for another deep playoff run. Losing Haliburton for any amount of time is a big blow. However, it is better that it happened now and not during the postseason. Assuming he misses any more time, the Pacers will likely continue to roll with Andrew Nembhard at point guard and move Ben Sheppard into the starting lineup.
Indiana is primed for another successful campaign after a rocky start to the season. After an Eastern Conference Finals appearance year, the Pacers have their eyes on something much greater than that--an NBA championship.