Tyrese Haliburton back on the floor for Indiana Pacers amid lineup changes
Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton returned to the lineup for the Pacers this weekend after a six game absence, and he didn't appear to have missed a beat. The 23-year old averaged 19.5 points and 11.0 assists per game in two outings while shooting 54% from the field. Even after missing two weeks, he was still Indiana's engine.
The difference for Haliburton was the group of players around him. For the entire season, Haliburton started alongside Buddy Hield in the backcourt. But over the weekend, Indiana moved rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin into the starting five and moved Hield to the bench.
Mathurin and Haliburton had only started once together prior to this weekend — the Pacers are experimenting a bit — but it could be a necessary trial for their long-term future. Haliburton and Mathurin are both under 24 years old and a critical part of Indiana's future plans.
So far, they have elevated the team when together. Despite a pedestrian weekend from the Pacers' new-look starting five, lineups that feature both young guards have a +1.0 net rating on the season in 841 minutes. Mathurin has struggled to find his place in those groups when he is in with the starters specifically, but other five-man combinations have allowed both players to succeed.
Hield and Haliburton elevate each other, especially on the offensive end, but the blue and gold are looking toward the future with their altered starting group. All five players who started for the Pacers this weekend are 26 or younger.
Haliburton suggested that his rhythm was off, but he thinks that more reps will help him get his game flow back for the final seven outings.
"Having him back out there is great. It brings a different sort of presence and energy and vibe to our team," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said over the weekend. Haliburton made many impressive plays and commanded defensive attention while on the court. Despite two losses for the Pacers, having their All-Star back was beneficial.
Indiana is 28-28 when Haliburton plays this season and 5-14 when he sits. He is the heart and soul of the team and capable of elevating many units. For the final seven games, as the Pacers sit just outside of the play-in tournament, the All-Star guard will look to acquire chemistry with an altered rotation. Doing so will benefit Haliburton and his peers long term.
This weekend, the opening five featured Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner, and Aaron Nesmith alongside Haliburton and Mathurin. Turner only played in one game due to a back injury, but the starting lineup was a -18 in his outing. Isaiah Jackson replaced him on Saturday, and the starters were a +2 that night despite a loss. The results of the lineup change were a mixed bag, but they were mostly negative.
But over the course of the entire season, it has been better. The five man unit of Turner, Nesmith, Mathurin, Nembhard, and Haliburton is just a -6 in 59 minutes across 17 games. That's still substandard, but it's essentially a wash. For a young group, that's promising, and the final seven games of the Pacers season will give that combination a chance to develop — both as individuals and as a group.
It will also allow the organization to do some discovery. How do Mathurin and Haliburton do together when they also shared the court with another ball handler in Nembhard? How much can Turner and Nesmith, two capable defenders, make up for the perimeter defense deficiencies that Haliburton and Mathurin have? Can Hield succeed with Indiana's bench group? All those questions need answers, and getting more data points will bring the Pacers closer to finding those answers.
So while Haliburton did return from injury this weekend, everything looked a bit different. And for a Pacers team that has several draft picks in tow as well as a ton of salary cap space, more changes could be coming. The more answers that the organization has about its young players, how they fit with a star, and what skills are needed, the better.
With seven games to go, and Haliburton back in the fold, expect more experimenting from Indiana down the stretch.
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