When his team needed him the most, Tyrese Haliburton failed to deliver. He missed all six of his field goal attempts, scoring a playoff career low 4 points. Even his playmaking was not up to the mark as he failed to create easy shots for his teammates, finishing with just six assists. A lot of Haliburton’s struggles could be because of his lingering lower leg injury that got reaggravated tonight due to a nasty fall in the opening quarter.

In a scary incident, the star guard was forced to exit the game after he lost his footing while trying to get past Chet Holmgren and fell hard on the floor. Grimacing in pain, Hali immediately began favoring his right leg. The same one that has been bothering him throughout this series. Although Tyrese was able to return in the following quarter, it was clear that he was not a 100%. But despite Haliburton’s injury woes and Pacers’ blowout loss, Pascal Siakam has not lost faith in his co-star.

“Yeah, he’s a fighter. I mean, I think he’s been our rock all year. He’s a big reason why we here.” Siakam remarked, admiring Tyrese for leaving his all on the floor. Even with a hurt right leg, he played for 34 minutes and tried his best to muscle a comeback. Siakam continued, “I don’t know exactly what’s wrong, but I know he’s fighting and he’s gonna give us everything he got.”

The former champion also highlighted that the entire Pacers locker room is backing Haliburton as they look to keep their season alive following tonight’s loss, “We are 100% behind him and we support him. I think one thing he showed like is his resiliency. He showed that all year and I think that we can continue to count on him to keep fighting and I admire that from him just because I know that it’s hard. So, yeah, we got a couple of days to take care of our bodies, rest well and be ready for Game 6.” If not for Haliburton, Pacers might not even be here, just two wins away from winning their first title. In every series so far, he has made at least one big-time shot that has proven pivotal in their journey. So, Hali’s teammates have no reason to doubt him. But is his adamance to play amid injury hurting the team?

ESPN analyst fears for Tyrese Haliburton’s health as Rick Carlisle gets blamed for Pacers’ Game 5 loss

Sure, Haliburton trying to play through injury shows his heart and willingness to sacrifice. However, it raises major concerns about his long-term health. The lower leg issue has been bothering him throughout this series and he was even seen wearing a tape underneath his socks during Game 3. And ESPN analyst Bob Myers fears that playing through such an issue could lead to disaster, “Haliburton, I’m gonna say there’s no way he’s healthy. Because he’s better than what he played tonight and you could see some hesitation… When you have a calf tightness, you gotta be careful. Perk you know, the next thing that happens.”

Although he didn’t directly say it, the former Warriors executive was likely hinting toward a potential Achilles injury. We have already seen superstars like Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard suffer season ending Achilles injury this year. If Tyrese continues to push through the pain, he could be at risk of suffering the same fate.

Moreover, him staying on the floor tonight did not benefit the Pacers one bit. So, Kendrick Perkins blamed Rick Carlisle for the loss, as the head coach did not take the tough decision of subbing Hali out while he was clearly bothered by injury, “Rick Carlisle somewhat cost them this game tonight with his substitution patterns. Like he should have kept TJ McConnell in.” Yes, TJ McConnell was on fire tonight, as he dropped 18 points and four assists to cut OKC’s double-digit lead down to two points. But Carlisle halted his team’s momentum by subbing an injured Haliburton back in.

Even Stephen A. Smith shared a similar sentiment, “He was bad but it could very well be because he’s unhealthy. We can accept that. Nevertheless, with TJ McConnell keeping them in this game and helping them come back and pulling them within two, you gotta know if you don’t have it, you shouldn’t even wanna be out there, considering how he looked.” Maybe, it would have been better for Tyrese’s health and the Pacers if the point guard had taken a step back and let the in-form McConnell control the reins. Do you agree?