Subscribe
Follow Us
The Indiana Pacers have not played their best basketball, and things didn't get any better after their loss against the Toronto Raptors. The Pacers are now on a three-game losing streak, and after the Raptors' loss, Tyrese Haliburton had a lot to say about how the team has been playing.
“The product we're putting on the floor right now as a group is embarrassing,” Haliburton said. “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 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. The effort has to be better.”
The Pacers are currently the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference, and though it's still quite early, Haliburton says that it may be time for the team to start looking at themselves in the mirror.
“We’re 9-13 right now,” Haliburton said. “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.
“You cannot control if you make every shot. You can’t control substitution patterns. You can’t control stuff like that. 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.”
Pacers struggling early in the season
Coming into the season, the Pacers were expected to be one of the rising teams in the league, especially with how they ended last season making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Their offense was their biggest strength, and this season, it looks like it's taken a step back.
One of those reasons for the offense taking a step back is the play of Tyrese Halliburton, who hasn't looked like the same player everyone saw last year. Some have wondered if he's dealing with an injury, as others may think that teams have figured out how to contain him.
Outside of him, the Pacers have other capable players who were big for their success last season, and it's going to take them and Haliburton to find a rhythm.
