Tyrese Haliburton weighed in on the debate surrounding the uptick in Achilles injuries across the NBA last season, saying he doesn’t believe there’s a definitive answer beyond that of bad luck.
Haliburton is recovering from his own Achilles tear, which he suffered early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the third player to suffer an Achilles tear in the playoffs and the seventh overall last season.
“I think that there’s like a notion when guys get injured or when this has happened so many times that everybody thinks that they have the answer to why this is happening,” Haliburton said Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” in his first public appearance since the injury. “Everybody thinks we play too many games, we play too many minutes — all those things could be true, but I don’t think that is what’s causing these injuries.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has also stated he doesn’t believe the number of games or amount of minutes is a major contributing factor, telling ESPN earlier this summer that the majority of Achilles injuries happen in the first half of the season.
“So I don’t think that anybody has necessarily the answer,” Haliburton said. “I think injuries are just bad luck sometimes and that’s just what happened. I think that’s just what happens in sports sometimes.”
Haliburton’s right Achilles tendon tear happened as he was playing on a calf strain he was officially diagnosed with after Game 5 — however he was seen favoring the leg as early as after Game 2. Haliburton passed a calf stress test before Game 6 that allowed him to play and said he was feeling great going into Game 7.
“After Game 6, I’m like, ‘It’s done, it’s gone, adrenaline is going to get to me, I’m going to be good,'” Haliburton said. “I go to Game 7, I feel nothing. I feel great going into the game. I think that’s why I had a great start to the game. My body felt great. Then obviously, that happens in the end.”
Now a month past surgery, Haliburton is still getting around on a scooter; the Pacers have already ruled him out for all of next season. He said he’s talked with both Kevin Durant — who tore his Achilles during the 2019 Finals — and Jayson Tatum, who suffered an Achilles tear only a few weeks before Haliburton.
The Pacers point guard says his goal is to use the time between now and his expected return in 2026-27 the best way he can.
“I think I want to take this time to keep growing my mind for the game. Being around coach [Rick] Carlisle. Sit in on coaches’ meetings. [Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin] Pritchard, talking to those guys and helping. I feel like I have a pretty decent basketball mind myself. So I’m just trying to help the guys as best as I can. I’m going to be on the bench as soon as I can walk.”