Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton expected to be ready for Team USA camp due to hamstring injury

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said he expects to be ready to participate in Team USA’s training camp as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered in the playoffs NBA playoffs, according to the The Indianapolis Star Dustin Dopirak.

“The hamstring feels good,” Haliburton said Friday. “…Today I ran full speed for the first time. I still have three weeks until USA. I feel good. I’m really excited to get out and do this.”

Haliburton, who missed Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, will have to report to Las Vegas in just a few weeks to begin preparing for the Paris Olympics, which begin in July. This year marks Haliburton’s first time competing in the Olympics.

Haliburton first suffered a hamstring injury in January, forcing him to miss 10 games. He injured the same hamstring in Game 2 of the Conference Finals as the Celtics swept the Pacers.

Haliburton continued its upward trajectory in the 2023-24 season, averaging 20.1 points per game and leading the league in assists with 10.9 per game. He had a good performance in his first playoff appearance, but was ultimately sidelined and unable to help Indiana reach the finals for the first time since 2000.

Now, the rising star will look to get his hamstring back to 100 percent and help Team USA win a gold medal. Haliburton was a member of the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup team that finished in fourth place, which is just one of seven times the U.S. team has finished outside the top three.

Haliburton will join Team USA veterans like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant as well as newcomers like Anthony Edwards and Joel Embiid in Paris this summer.

Team USA has won four consecutive gold medals at the Olympics and will try for its fifth this year behind a star-studded roster.