In last week’s game against the Hornets, Haliburton made 4 of 10 shots and scored only 9 points. The team ended up losing at home. Video source: Pacers official YouTube channel
The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals last season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference (47 wins and 35 losses), subverting the predictions of all experts, ball commentators and fans. The most magical and influential star in the Pacers’ lineup is Haliburton. Haliburton lacks the three-point accuracy this season, lacks magical creativity, and more importantly, the magic that drives the rhythm of the game. Without Haliburton’s magic, the Pacers’ amazing offensive efficiency and quick counterattacks last season were already very low. Show up less often. The Pacers currently rank 15th in the league in offensive efficiency, and their defensive efficiency has dropped to 22. The key is that Haliburton becomes ordinary without magic.
Haliburton will compete continuously in the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024. He has had almost no rest in the past two years. Except for the NBA regular season, he has played at the 2023 Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics, which may cause him to be tired. But that’s not entirely true. Haliburton barely played in the Paris Olympics. He was outside the nine-man rotation of the US men’s basketball team.
Perhaps our expectations for Haliburton are too high, especially since Haliburton has averaged more than 20 points and 10 assists per game for two consecutive seasons. Most fans and professionals expect him to become another Magic Johnson, a player who can Control the ball with magical passing and creative game-changing variations. At present, it seems that Haliburton may be reluctant to even be selected for the All-Star Game. He does not belong to the superstar level, and may still be far behind the first-line stars.
They reached the Eastern Conference finals last season. It seems that the Pacers must make major changes this year. The road to superstar basketball will not work. Then they need to return to team basketball, tap Haliburton’s talents as much as possible, return to defense, and sneak away. It is possible for the Ma to create surprises again in the East End.
