Tyrese Haliburton admitted that his quest to hit the NBA’s 65-game appearance mark played a massive role in his decision to return hurriedly from his hamstring injury. The Indiana Pacers star signed a rookie-maximum contract extension with the franchise last summer. The contract’s value is $207 million but could bump by $53 million if Haliburton wins the MVP or earns an All-NBA nod. The young guard is a lock to earn an All-NBA nod but will have to meet the league’s 65-game cutoff to qualify for that accolade.
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On the latest episode of the Old Man & The Three Podcast, host JJ Redick asked Haliburton if the $53 million incentive played a role in him returning to the court before recovering from the hamstring injury that he suffered against the Boston Celtics on January 8th. He said,
“No question [that it did]… I thought I was ready to go for the Portland game. So did our medical staff. Everybody agreed. But if this [65-game benchmark] was never the case, I might have been like, ‘Give it another game or two. Maybe think more through this. Let’s try to be 100%.'”
Haliburton had missed only three of the Pacers’ first 36 games. He recalled not wanting to miss any of those. The young guard said,
“I got hurt right before we went to Boston [in November]. I couldn’t play… It was a back-to-back. If it wasn’t a back-to-back, I would have played. And then I got the flu in Miami [in December] and couldn’t play the next day. I was throwing up.”
Hali added that the three games he missed were in his mind when he suffered a hamstring injury against the Celtics. He recalled getting emotional because he expected to miss enough games to lose his eligibility for the MVP award and a place in one of the three All-NBA teams.
However, the Pacers star returned against the Portland Trail Blazers after a five-game absence. He scored 21 points and dished 17 assists, but his incredible outing was soured after he reaggravated his hamstring injury, which forced him to sit out of the Pacers’ next five games. The young guard was back in the Pacers’ lineup after another five-game absence. However, he was forced to play with a 23-minute time restriction. It was bumped up to 30 minutes after four games, and for the past two games, he’s averaging as many minutes as he did before suffering the hamstring strain.
The Pacers guard averaged 23.6 points, 12.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds before his injury against the Celtics. Since returning from his injury, he’s averaging 15.9 points, 9.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds. His desperation to meet the 65-game cutoff to qualify for the All-NBA nod has severely dampened his numbers. However, he’s still a strong contender to earn a spot in one of the three All-NBA teams at the end of the season.
Tyrese Haliburton gives his verdict on the NBA’s 65-game rule
Before his return to the lineup on January 30th, Haliburton was asked about the NBA’s 65-game threshold to qualify for the MVP award and the All-NBA nods. He did not mince words and said,
“I think it’s a stupid rule, like plenty of the guys in the league. But this is what the owners want. So as players, we gotta do our job and play in 65 games if we’re able to. So, that’s what I gotta do, take care of my body to be able to play in those games, and I think you’re seeing other players in the league kind of face the same thing. As long as the owners are happy.”
While the rule has its benefits, it also has a significant downside. Players like Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard, who have been known to take their time to return from injuries, are trending toward beating their career-high in regular season games played for their respective teams.
However, players like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton pushed themselves to return from injury before they were fully healthy and reaggravated their ailments, missing more games than they should have. The Philadelphia 76ers superstar was visibly struggling against the Golden State Warriors but soldiered on. However, tragedy struck when he suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter, which sidelined him for at least two months.
Embiid had missed 12 games and was left with a five-game buffer before losing his MVP eligibility. That prompted him to push his luck and play against the Warriors. The decision was a massive mistake as he has lost his MVP and All-NBA eligibility and could also miss the rest of the season. Instances like these could become common in the future, which is why Haliburton believes the 65-game rule is “stupid.”
