The Indiana Pacers saw their worst nightmare come to life on Monday night in their win over the Celtics when star guard Tyrese Haliburton slipped into a split and was in considerable pain, needing to be carried off of the court by his teammates.
In the moment, it looked as though the leading All-Star vote-getter among East guards was going to be sidelined for a long time, but an MRI on Tuesday revealed about the best news possible for Haliburton and the Pacers. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Haliburton suffered just a Grade 1 hamstring strain, which will put him on the shelf for two weeks before being reevaluated, but he avoided a significant, long-term injury.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, an MRI revealed on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN. He’s expected to be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks but there’s relief that he’s avoided serious injury. pic.twitter.com/AnYt2ov7pV
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 9, 2024
Now, any hamstring injury comes with the caveat that they can linger and tend to get aggravated easier if you come back a bit too soon, but if the Pacers and Haliburton can be patient letting it heal fully, he should be able to return to the court and, hopefully, avoid any issues the rest of the season. The Pacers are currently tied with the Magic, Heat, Knicks, and Cavs at 21-15 and one would expect them to slip some in the standings without their star guard, but if they can tread water they’ll stay within reach of a top-6 spot in the East when he’s able to return. Two weeks would be an 8-game absence for Haliburton, but that’s just when he’s being reevaluated so it could be more like 10-12 games they’ll have to navigate without the league’s leading assist man.