Tyrese Haliburton started the season looking nothing like the All-NBA point guard we saw last year. He wasn’t as aggressive, and the Pacers felt it—stuck in mediocrity through the first 20 games. But if you’ve been watching lately, you know that version of Haliburton is long gone. He’s locked in now, fixing everything that needed tweaking and playing like the star Indiana needs.

The numbers speak for themselves—six straight double-doubles and a post-All-Star break run where he’s averaging 23.9 points, 12 assists, and 2.6 steals while keeping turnovers to just 1.1 per game. But if his form had picked up, it’s his fitness now that is giving him trouble.

Haliburton landed on the Pacers’ injury report with a hip issue, and the team initially labeled him as questionable. They kept his status day-to-day, leaving some hope he might suit up. But now it’s official—he’s ruled out against the Hawks.

Haliburton’s name has shown up on the injury report plenty this season, but that hasn’t kept him off the court. He’s only missed one game despite being listed as questionable multiple times. Rick Carlisle admitted Haliburton has been dealing with soreness but couldn’t point to a single moment that triggered it.

His minutes have been no joke lately, which might explain some of the discomfort. Even after being questionable with left groin soreness, he still played 40 minutes against the Nuggets on Feb. 24. And in two of his last three games, he logged at least 36 minutes. Clearly, resting isn’t exactly his thing.

Lately, Haliburton had locked in. After torching the Rockets for 28 points and draining 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, he opened up about his shift in mentality. “I erased the first 15 games from my memory,” he said. “I’m just in a zone right now. I’m just trying to play the right way, just trying to make the right plays and stay aggressive, understanding that when I’m aggressive, we’re at our best.”

Indiana is gearing up for a serious playoff push, likely landing in the fourth or fifth seed—an upgrade from last year’s sixth spot. Haliburton, though, has his sights set way beyond that. “I didn’t want to peak too early. I’m trying to get to peak time by around April, May, hopefully June,” he said. “That’s a that’s time for me to peak.”

Talking about playing in June? That’s a bold statement. But if Haliburton keeps dominating on both ends of the floor, counting this Pacers team out would be a mistake.

Tyrese Haliburton achieves a rare feat

If you haven’t been locked in on the Pacers this season, you might have missed Tyrese Haliburton quietly making history. After leading the NBA in assists last year and earning All-NBA honors, he started this season a little off his game. But lately? He’s been cooking.

What makes Haliburton special isn’t just his ability to rack up assists—it’s how well he protects the ball. Against the Bulls on Sunday, he became the first player in league history to hit 500 assists before reaching 100 turnovers. Right now, he sits at 511 assists and 100 turnovers, ranking fourth behind Trae Young, Nikola Jokic, and Cade Cunningham.

Despite the ups and downs this season, Haliburton remains confident in his playmaking. “I’m just trying to make the right play. I know I’ve been up and down this year, but this is what I do,” he said. “I pride myself on taking care of the ball and getting guys open shots. We got a lot of guys making shots right now, so that helps.”

Dishing out 500 assists in a season isn’t anything new, but keeping turnovers that low? That’s another level. Only 36 players in NBA history have ever recorded 500 assists while staying under 150 turnovers for a full season. Haliburton is on track to do it for the second straight year. Chris Paul pulled it off in 2022-23 with 524 assists and 114 turnovers. If Haliburton wants to top CP3, he’ll need to keep his turnovers to 0.6 per game for the rest of the season. At this rate, don’t bet against him.