The Indiana Pacers have clearly missed Tyrese Haliburton this season as he recovers from an Achilles tear.
While Haliburton's absence isn't the only problem Indiana has dealt with this season (other key injuries that kept guys like Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell, Pascal Siakam, and Obi Toppin out for an extended time, starting Isaiah Jackson and Jay Huff at center for most of the season, virtually none of their young players stepping up, not having a clear replacement for Bennedict Mathurin after trading him for Ivica Zubac, who only played five games for them this season, among many others), it certainly didn't help.
The Pacers have been one of the worst teams on both sides of the ball for the entire season (they rank 27th in offensive, defensive, and net rating, according to Basketball-Reference.com), and that's largely been because they have been without Haliburton, who is their offensive engine and even provides some defensive value.
Fortunately for them, they should get their star guard back on the court next season. But whether he will be the same guy right away or not is a completely different question that nobody will know the answer to until he officially comes back.
Recent history bodes well for Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers
Achilles injuries are always hard to overcome, especially for NBA players, but if recent history has proven anything, then Pacers fans should be excited about Haliburton's outlook.
This season alone, Jayson Tatum, Dejounte Murray, and Isaiah Jackson (remember him, Pacers fans?) all returned from an Achilles injury. And all three of them have been better than anybody expected them to be right away.
Tatum, who tore his Achilles a little over a month before Haliburton did, made his return on Mar. 6 and has mostly looked good. In 11 games this season, he has averaged 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.1 steals in 31 minutes. His shot hasn't fallen yet (39.9 FG% and 32.3 3FG%), and he looks a bit slow still. But he mostly looks comfortable getting to the basket, being aggressive on the boards, and playing iso ball when needed. (He has also seemingly grown as a playmaker and passer, which is incredible considering how great he already was in this area).
As for Murray, he missed a little over a year due to an Achilles injury, but it didn't take long for him to find his groove. In 13 games this season, the New Orleans Pelicans guard has averaged 17.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 48.8% from the floor (and just 31.7% from deep, though he's been an inconsistent shooter for a while) in 27.8 minutes.
And with Jackson, he certainly didn't blow anybody away when he came back (which was actually a big reason Indiana traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers this season), but he never lost his bounce or his athleticism. And for what it's worth, he has looked solid in Los Angeles so far (7.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, and 1.2 BPG in 15.9 MPG).
A healthy Tyrese Haliburton is key to the Pacers' success
Just because some players have come back and played well right away doesn't mean Haliburton will, but the odds are definitely in his favor.
By the time the Wisconsin native is back playing meaningful Pacers basketball, it will have been roughly a year and a half of him sitting out, rehabbing his injury, and utilizing whatever he may have learned in his time away. Plus, he will have a full offseason and preseason to ramp up, whereas Tatum and Murray came back during the regular season.
Haliburton is crucial to Indiana's success. He is the engine of the offense because of his elite playmaking and presence as a scoring threat. The Pacers miss him, but fortunately for them, he will be back before they know it. And he may be just as good as he has been right away.