What Happened to Tyrese Haliburton?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Lance Roberson | Last updated Feb 5, 2025 5:11 PM ET

After a four-game winning streak, a part of an 18-5 stretch, the Indiana Pacers turned into a pumpkin on Tuesday. The 112-89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center popped the Pacers' balloon of excitement. The Pacers struggled to score in their blowout loss, as Tyrese Haliburton recorded a brutal stat line vs. the Trail Blazers.

Over Haliburton's last 14 games, he's averaged 18 points, 8.3 assists, and 1.5 steals. Moreover, he recorded an impressive 49.7 percent from the field and 42.7 from 3. However, Haliburton failed to muster a single point against the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league, the Trail Blazers.

Making an effort is crucial in basketball, and Haliburton appeared to lack the energy or drive to score on Tuesday. Despite his team desperately needing a savior, Haliburton logged 24 minutes without registering a single point.

How could Haliburton not score in a game vs. a lottery-destined opponent?

No reports surfaced of Haliburton playing through injury. Without much background information, the Pacers' point guard's stat line implies that he didn't want to score, given the three attempted shots.

After recovering from a horrid 10-game stretch to start the 2024-25 season, during which Haliburton averaged 16 points and 27 percent from 3, it seemed the worst performances were behind the Pacers' point guard.

However, Tuesday's performance raises questions about a point guard who earned All-NBA honors for the 2023-24 season.

What is wrong with Haliburton?

Perhaps the athletic talent of Portland bothered Haliburton, but frankly, even such reasoning sounds like a poor excuse.

Haliburton is too talented of a player to record a zero-point performance. When the 2025 playoffs commence, Haliburton can't vomit out such a dud of a stat line.

Perhaps it's merely one freak letdown of a game amid a stretch of winning basketball for the Pacers. Nonetheless, as a star player, the Pacers shouldn't accept such performances. The team deserves more from Haliburton, especially if they genuinely wish to contend in an Eastern Conference with stars who can rise to the moment, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Jalen Brunson.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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