Haliburton: Pacers’ Play ‘Embarrassing,’ I Have To Be ‘Better Leader’

The Pacers were starting to hit their stride at this time a year ago, earning a spot in the knockout round of the in-season tournament and advancing all the way to the championship game in Las Vegas. This time around, Indiana went 0-4 in NBA Cup group play, capped by a one-sided loss in Toronto on Tuesday to a Raptors team that entered the game with a 6-15 record.

Speaking to reporters after the game, star guard Tyrese Haliburton stressed that he and his teammates are capable of more and that they need to start showing that (YouTube link).

“The product we’re putting on the floor right now as a group is embarrassing,” Haliburton said (hat tip to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). “… Every team is playing hard right now. Every team is young and has energy. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be matching that and beyond. I just think the product that we’re putting out there on a nightly basis right now needs to be better because we work too hard. Too many people care. We have too much pride in it. The product has to be better and the effort has to be better.”

Haliburton, who has been an All-Star in back-to-back seasons and made the All-NBA Third Team in 2023/24, has gotten off to a slow start this fall. His 41.6% field goal percentage and 34.0% three-point percentage would both be career lows, and he’s averaging just 17.6 points and 8.5 assists per game after putting up 20.4 PPG and 10.7 APG over the previous two seasons.

The Pacers, who won 47 regular season games and made the Eastern Conference Finals last season, have struggled along with Haliburton, posting a 9-13 record through the first quarter of the season. Tuesday’s defeat in Toronto extended the team’s current losing streak to three games.

“There needs to be a reality check right now, individually and collectively,” Haliburton said. “Guys need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask themselves what they can do better. That starts with me. I have to be a better leader. I’ve got to do everything better and harder because I’m not ready to piss away a year of my career or this organization or this team’s season.

“… We’re 9-13 right now. We can act like the world is falling apart and that’s not the case, but there also needs to be a sense of urgency. Everybody can keep saying, ‘Oh, it’s four games, we’ll be back to .500.’ It ain’t that easy.”

The Pacers have dealt with some injury issues in the first six weeks of the season. Starting guard Andrew Nembhard missed 12 games in November due to a right knee ailment and starting wing Aaron Nesmith has been out for over a month due to a left ankle sprain. Indiana also lost both of its backup centers – Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman – to Achilles tears.

Still, Haliburton doesn’t view that as an excuse, suggesting that the Pacers should be able to raise their compete level, regardless of who’s on the floor.

“You cannot control if you make every shot. You can’t control substitution patterns. You can’t control stuff like that,” Haliburton said (hat tip to Eric Koreen of The Athletic). “But you can control how hard you’re going to play. You can control your energy and your spirit. Those are all controllable things. Everybody’s got to do a little bit of a gut check, check themselves in the mirror and figure out what we can do better.”

The Pacers will have a chance to bounce back on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday when they visit Brooklyn to face the Nets, who will also be looking to snap a three-game losing streak.