'The plan is to play': Tyrese Haliburton is ready to return, understands what's at stake for his contract
Haliburton and coach Rick Carlisle also shared their thoughts on the new rule requiring players to appear in 65 games to be eligible for key season awards.
Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was back on the practice court on Monday.
Before the team departed for Boston, where they’ll face the top team in the NBA for the third time this month, he got shots up and participated in a scrimmage at the St. Vincent Center.
Then afterward, he said “The plan is to play tomorrow for me. I’ll see how I feel in the morning when I wake up and that will kind of dictate that answer, but I feel good. Ready to go. The medical staff has done a good job preparing me to get back and hopefully I’m ready to go.”
Haliburton, 23, has been recovering from a Grade 1 left hamstring strain — which typically keeps players out for at least a few weeks. After feeling like he ‘dodged a bullet’ and was good enough to return, he played on Jan. 19 in Portland.
He did not look completely comfortable and didn’t move like he typically does — sprinting and maneuvering around opponents.
He finished with 21 points, 17 assists and 0 turnovers in 35 minutes in what was also Pascal Siakam’s Pacers debut. And a loss.