Back to training, Tyrese Haliburton struggles on defense

Eleven months after tearing his Achilles tendon, Tyrese Haliburton is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. His recovery took longer than Jayson Tatum’s, and after a setback, the Pacers guard can finally train normally.

“I had started to play five-on-five again, then I suffered from shingles. That stopped everything for about three weeks, so it slowed things down for a while,” detailed the Pacers guard. “But now, I’m slowly coming back. I just resumed five-on-five as the season approaches, and we have a mini training camp with the group in a few weeks. I will be ready for that. So yes, it was tough for a while, but now it’s going well.”

As for his game, Haliburton admits there is no apprehension, but he acknowledges that it will take time to regain speed and mobility on the defensive end. And as he admits, defense was not his strong suit to begin with.

“Defensively, I feel like I’m a step behind. I’m not a great defender to begin with. But now, I’m playing against interns and wondering why this guy is getting the better of me,” he said. “It’s mostly about regaining my footing, pivots, those kinds of things. Offensively, when I control my movements, I feel great. Defensively, when I have to react to others, that’s where it will continue to improve over time.”