Tyrese Haliburton is back on the court, and Rick Carlisle tested a new five last night against the Hawks. In the lead, Haliburton obviously, and Myles Turner keeps his place under the panels. Around them, three new holders! At the back, Bennedict Mathurin in place of Buddy Hield, and in the front line, two recruits: Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin.
“It’s a starting five idea,” quipped Rick Carlisle. “It’s just that. It’s a sketch. I’m very interested to see how they will play together, with what intensity, with what cohesion, with what connection. This will be very important to observe. It’s not written in advance that this will be our starting five.”
Movement, speed… but also mistakes
However, Carlisle liked what he saw, and for him, it is about finding the players who combine best with Haliburton, author of 15 points and 8 assists in the victory against Atlanta. “Usually, without watching the video, you see a lot of positive things. I believe a lot in this group in attack. On defense, there were simply fouling problems, and we have to do better” analyzes the Indiana coach.
What he also noted is that the collective works well with passes and movement, but also speed. The Pacers signed 36 assists for 42 baskets, but also 22 points on the counterattack.
“With Obi, Ben and Bruce, we really have guys who can move up the field”
“The ball circulated well,” confirms the leader of the United States at the World Cup. “With their type of defense, you know you’re going to play a lot of two-on-ones, because there’s an anchor point at the free throw level. Most of the time we did a good job. The more time and months we spend together, the better. All NBA teams play 5-on-0 every day, from today through April, May, June. It takes time, but it’s fun, and this annual process is always fun to learn. This is what works, this is what doesn’t work. It’s an interesting process. »
The opportunity for Haliburton to discover these two new teammates, the Brown-Toppin duo. “With Obi, Ben and Bruce, we really have guys who can move up the field. You just have to focus on finishing possessions. Obi is a great guy to come out on the fast break, and I am sometimes. We can do better, both of us clearly. But as long as we make saves and get rebounds, few players will be able to beat us on the rebound. »
