25-under-25: How far can Tyrese Haliburton take the Indiana Pacers?

The Indiana Pacers will go as far as Tyrese Haliburton can take them.

He has completely transformed the franchise since arriving in the Domantas Sabonis trade two and a half years ago. Haliburton has established himself as one of the best young point guards in the league, an elite offensive engine who powers one of the most effective and up-tempo systems in the league. He's just 24 but already the team's undisputed leader, both functionally and spiritually — play with an infectious joy that now imbues every fastbreak in Indiana.

That's why it was so disheartening to see him struggle so much in the playoffs last year.

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Tyrese Haliburton has to be ready for the moment

Haliburton was absolutely sensational last year — averaging 20.1 points, a league-leading 10.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, on a 60.5 true shooting percentage. He helped lead the Pacers offense to the second-best offensive rating in the league, trailing only the record-setting Boston Celtics and significantly ahead of the third-place Thunder.

He guided this roster through the departure of Buddy Hield and the arrival of Pascal Siakam, averaged 33.3 points per 36 minutes on a 68.5 true shooting percentage in clutch situations and led the Pacers to the Finals of the inaugural in-season tournament.

But he also looked like he was barely keeping his head above water in the playoffs.

Haliburton's scoring numbers and shooting percentages dropped. He got to the free-throw line just 20 times in 15 games. Teams blitzed and took the ball out of his hands for significant stretches. He still had some big performances, including back-to-back 30+ points games against the Knicks and it was an injury that ultimately ended his postseason, limiting him to just two games in the four-game sweep at the hands of the Celtics. But for a player who looked prepared for everything and every big moment during the regular season, it was disconcerting to feel like TJ McConnell and Andrew Nembhard both had to be on the court for the Pacers to have a chance.

Things are harder for every player in the playoffs, that's the nature of the beast. But one of Haliburton's special gifts is how easy he makes everything look. Run the floor. Probe the paint. Share the ball, early and often. Hoist up rainbow 3s no defender can bother. In the postseason last year, he couldn't outrun the challenge and opponents forced him to run through it, with decidedly mixed success.

Both Haliburton and the Pacers have gone from good to great and they have lofty aspirations this season. A 50/40/90 season, another assist crown, a third-straight season averaging 20-10, first-team All-NBA — they're all in play for Haliburton. And the Pacers, with Bennedict Mathurin healthy, a full season of Pascal Siakam and a healthy helping of internal growth are certainly dark horse contenders after making the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

But the leap from great to elite is much harder than moving from good to great. Development is never linear and it wouldn't be entirely shocking to see a little regression here and there in Haliburton's numbers. Siakam is a capable number two and there are plenty of reasons for optimism around Mathurin but the ceiling on this roster, as constructed, is still almost wholly about Haliburton.

The expectations are climbing for the Pacers and Haliburton and so is the level of difficulty. They might be able to sprint through the regular season but a brick wall will be waiting for them again in the playoffs. Can't go over it. Can't go under it. They'll just have to break through it.

Tyrese Haliburton ranked No. 3 on FanSided's 2024-25 25-under-25, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here.