Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton avoided serious injury but is set to miss time with hamstring strain

After slipping on the court and doing a full split as a result, Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton needed to be helped off the floor and to the locker room by his teammates. Luckily for him and the Pacers, it seems as though he avoided serious injury, based on initial reporting from ESPN’s Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Tyrese Haliburton avoids serious injury but suffers a strained hamstring 

Per Wojnarowski, Haliburton suffered a Grade 1 strain to his left hamstring, as revealed by an MRI that was completed on Tuesday. Wojnarowski went on to mention that Haliburton is “expected to be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks but there’s relief that he’s avoided serious injury.”

The top vote-getter in the Eastern Conference for the 2023-24 NBA All-Star Game amongst guards in the first fan return, Haliburton has been a revelation for the Pacers this season, averaging career-highs in points (23.6) and assists (12.5) while shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. His 12.5 assists per game also leads the NBA; if he were to finish the season averaging over 12 assists per game, it’d be the first time a player has accomplished that feat since Utah Jazz legend John Stockton did it in 1994-95.

Haliburton’s ascension to superstardom has been a major factor in the success the Pacers are enjoying this season: They are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 21-15 record. 

Despite Haliburton suffering the injury in the first half of last night’s game against the Boston Celtics, the Pacers were able to prevail and take down the team with the best record in the NBA sans their soon-to-be All-Star point guard for the entire second half.

Backup guards T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard filled in admirably in Haliburton’s place, combining for 21 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, and two steals while shooting 10-of-18 from the floor in 37 minutes of action. Both McConnell and Nembhard will be relied on heavily to fill the void left by Haliburton until he returns.