Pacers looking to heat up with imminent return of Tyrese Haliburton

Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski - USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers have quickly found themselves in the middle of the playoff race with just over half of the season finished. The young core has quickly jelled into one of the most elite offensive units in the entire NBA, and no player has been more responsible for this than their All-Star starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton has been nothing short of electric this season for the Pacers averaging 23.6 points, 12.6 assists, and only 2.5 turnovers a game. The young guard has ascended from a fringe All-Star player last season to a starter this year and has helped elevate the Pacers from a 35-47 record last season to a 27-20 start this season.

However, Haliburton has had a slight issue with availability dating back to last season in which he only played 56 games for the Pacers. This season the Pacers are 7-6 when Haliburton doesn’t play compared to 20-14 with him on the court. With Haliburton set to return to play against the Celtics, this is a crucial stretch for this young team. Currently they find themselves sandwiched as the 6th seed and 2.5 games back from the Cavaliers at the 5th seed.

The Pacers are starting to heat up coming off wins against the 76ers, Suns, and Grizzlies. With Haliburton returning and Siakam beginning to find his role as a veteran on this young team, the time is now for them to push farther up the Eastern Conference standings and clinch the first playoff birth for the Pacers in 4 seasons.