The Indiana Pacers took a massive hit as star guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss an entire season following surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon.
The nightmare unfolded during Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City. Haliburton went down after knocking down three early three-pointers. The Thunder grabbed their first championship with a 103-91 victory, but Indiana's loss ran much deeper than the final score.
"I have no doubt that he will be back better than ever... He will not play next year though. We would not jeopardize that now," Pacers president Kevin Pritchard told ESPN.
Before getting hurt, the 25-year-old guard was having a stellar season. He put up 18.6 points while dishing out 9.2 assists per game. His impressive play across 73 starts landed him another All-NBA Third Team selection.
When Haliburton hit the floor with five minutes left in the first quarter, trainers rushed over. The arena fell silent as he slapped the court in pain before being helped off.
He was already dealing with a nagging calf problem from Game 5. Pritchard got emotional: "If you're asking me, would I have him do it over and over? I would not... I care for the kid so much and want him to have an incredible career."
In his 333 NBA games, split between Sacramento and Indiana, the smooth guard has averaged 17.5 points while adding 8.8 assists and grabbing 3.7 rebounds per game.
Indiana's hopes of winning their first NBA title vanished with Haliburton's injury. Without their playmaker running the show, the Pacers couldn't keep up with Oklahoma City's fierce defense.
The East takes another big hit - Boston's Jayson Tatum also suffered an Achilles tear in the playoffs. Both teams now face the tough task of filling huge gaps in their rosters.
