NBA analyst baffled by Tyrese Haliburton's drastic decline amid Pacers star's ongoing struggles: "Cannot figure out for the life of me"
Tyrese Haliburton's struggles on offense persisted during the Indiana Pacers' 130-113 loss to the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Wednesday. The Pacers' point guard delivered yet another lackluster performance, scoring just four points while converting only one of his seven field goal attempts.
Haliburton logged 30 minutes, going 1-for-5 from beyond the arc, while adding one rebound and eight assists to his stat line. Reacting to the two-time All-Star’s continued struggles, NBA analyst Jason Timpf expressed confusion, questioning why Haliburton has been so inconsistent early this season despite his exceptional form last year.
"I cannot figure out for the life of me what happened to Tyrese Halliburton," Timpf tweeted. "This time last year he looked like the league’s next great superstar."
Although it’s still early in the season, the disparity in Tyrese Haliburton’s performance compared to last year is striking. Last season, the Pacers' star showcased stellar form, averaging 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game while shooting an efficient 47.7% from the field, including 36.4% from 3-point range. His impressive play earned him a second consecutive All-Star selection.
In contrast, through 15 games this season, Haliburton is averaging just 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, with his shooting efficiency dropping to 37.5% overall, including 28.4% from beyond the arc.
This significant decline in production has been a key factor in the Pacers’ struggles, as the team currently sits ninth in the Eastern Conference standings with a disappointing 6-9 record.
Fans dissect reason behind Tyrese Haliburton's woes
Following Jason Timpf's remarks about his difficulty understanding Tyrese Haliburton's struggles this season, basketball fans took to analyzing and speculating on the reasons behind the Pacers star's downturn in form.
"i do not think this is the case per say but i wonder how much of it was last winter he shot like a maniac... like an unsustainable way," a user wrote.
"Lost their perimeter shooting due to buddy being gone and Niesmith out… not the same team and I think they needed a new coach anyways and this isn’t helping his case. They were red hot last year but it was all offensive stuff," commented another.
"As soon as they lost buddy he fell off. Seeing what buddy does in gsw should be enough to prove how useful he is," said another.
"Jason here is the thing and Im really just saying this as a NBA fan not a hater. He is mid and a slight above average guy. Not enough dynamic play like a Kyrie, Curry, Brunson, Fox, Ja, Shae, Maxey. If his shot is not falling that it. There’s no get to the paint for hard buckets!" another user wrote.
Haliburton will have a chance to bounce back from his underwhelming performance against the Houston Rockets in the Indiana Pacers' next game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.