Insider: What went wrong – and right – for the Pacers in Tyrese Haliburton's absence

INDIANAPOLIS – The Pacers knew before Tyrese Haliburton was injured that he was special. They rushed to defend him in December when Knicks analyst and former NBA player Wally Sczcerbiak called him a "fake" and "wannabe" All-Star and they reveled in the way Haliburton responded by scoring 76 points in the next two games and leading the Pacers to eight wins in their next 10 games. They acknowledged that Haliburton wasn't just their best player, leading scorer and the NBA's leader in assists, but he was central to everything they did on the floor and off, the keystone of not just to this particular team but for the near-to-midterm future of the franchise.

So when he sprained his left elbow and suffered a bone contusion on his left knee in the third quarter of a Jan. 11 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, they knew his absence would very much be a problem.

"He's a phenomenal passer, ball mover, floor spacer," forward Aaron Nesmith said. "He's the leader of our team, it's losing one of your major voices."

They were hopeful, though, that his loss wouldn't be debilitating, but it's hard to describe it any other way. Counting that loss to the Knicks, the Pacers have lost 10 of the 11 games since the injury, which has drastically changed the trajectory of their season. Heading into that game they sat in sixth place at 23-18, a game ahead of the Knicks for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot that would have allowed them avoid the play-in round. Now they're 24-28, four games under .500 for the first time this season. For the moment, they're in a virtual tie for 10th place and the final play-in spot with the Chicago Bulls.

Haliburton practiced Tuesday and Wednesday and hopes to return to action for Thursday's 7 p.m. home game against the Lakers.

Here are four things that went wrong when he was out and three silver linings that could help the Pacers as they enter the final 30 games of their season.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Pacers had bad starts

Starts have been a problem for the Pacers all season regardless of who was in the lineup. They're last in the league in scoring in first quarters with 26.9 points per game, last in field goal percentage at .439 and 29th in points allowed at 31.2.

And somehow they took it to another level while Haliburton was out. In the 10 games he missed, the Pacers gave up a league worst 35.3 points per game in first quarters. They were a little better offensively, ranking 24th with 28.0 points per game, but the -7.3-point differential was the worst in the NBA. They surrendered 134.7 points per 100 possessions, by far the worst defensive rating in first quarters in the league in the 10-game stretch. They were slightly better on offense, but they posted a net rating of -27.9. The only time they won, they had to come back from a 21-point first-half deficit to beat the Bulls.

"We're trying to teach our guys that we're not the team with the 'X' on our back," assistant coach Lloyd Pierce said. "We need to be the team looking at them with the 'X' on their back and we have to come out hitting them first. I don't know, sometimes you naturally come into the game and you're casual and you're trying not to make a mistake. And then when you're down 20, the mistakes have already been made."

Pacers didn't settle on a lineup

In the 10 games Haliburton missed, the Pacers used six different starting lineups and didn't seem necessarily thrilled about the one that they settled on for the last four games.

Haliburton wasn't the only player who missed time. Center Myles Turner missed the first two games with back spasms. Point guard Andrew Nembhard missed two games with an illness and Aaron Nesmith missed one, then played through a sore wrist.

But the Pacers also made lineups shifts based on performance. Bennedict Mathurin started four games but was moved back to the bench because the Pacers' staff saw that he was still so much more effective as a sixth man. The Pacers initially moved wing Oshae Brissett into the starting position, but after a shaky performance he was replaced by point guard T.J. McConnell, moved up because, as Carlisle put it, he's one of the team's best competitors.

All the shifting on the starting lineup led to even less consistency in how the reserves were deployed. In the month prior to Haliburton's injury, the Pacers had developed a sturdy second unit with McConnell, Mathurin, Chris Duarte, Brissett and either Jalen Smith or Isaiah Jackson as the backup center. The Pacers didn't use a full second unit in Haliburton's absence, generally keeping at least one starter on the floor at all times. There was a lot of trial and error, not a lot of rhythm.

Defense took a hit

Haliburton isn't on the floor for his defense. The Pacers generally try to manipulate their man-to-man defensive matchups to put him on the easiest assignment. Nembhard and Nesmith generally get the top defensive assignments. Haliburton is opportunistic at getting in passing lanes, and is among the league's leaders in steals with 1.8 per game, but logic would suggest that the defense shouldn't have suffered too much in his absence.

But it did. In the 10 games he missed, they allowed 123.6 points per game. Only the Pistons and Spurs, two teams squarely in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, allowed more. They were 29th in opponent field goal percentage (.510), 28th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (.412), 29th in opponent effective field goal percentage (.588) and 27th in defensive rating (121.1 points per 100 possessions). They frequently talked about a need to hit first and take opponents out of their rhythm before they could get comfortable running their offense and finding shots, but they didn't. They didn't hold any of their opponents under 110 points and allowed six of them to score at least 125.