How serious is Tyrese Haliburton's injury? MRI reveals Pacers star's expected return timeline

Tyrese Haliburton was carried off the floor on Monday night in a scary moment that left fans fearing the worst. Although the Indiana Pacers star, who has had an incredible season thus far, managed to avoid any major tears that requires surgery, he will be sidelined for quite some time. After undergoing an MRI, longtime insider Adrian Wojnarowski shared a troubling update.

According to Wojnarowski's report, Tyrese Haliburton has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. As a result, the expectation is that he will be sidelined for at least two weeks.

The nature of the update is quite open ended. While it's clear that he will be sidelined for the next two weeks, the timeline after that is unclear. Although Haliburton avoided any serious tears, as we have seen in the past with lower body strains, sometimes they take longer to heal.

Wojnarowski's update indicated that Haliburton will be re-evaluated in two weeks, meaning that after two weeks he could still be facing more time off. The report from Adrian Wojnarowski reads:

"Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, an MRI revealed on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN. He’s expected to be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks but there’s relief that he’s avoided serious injury."

Looking at how Tyrese Haliburton's injury will impact the Indiana Pacers going forward

To put it simply, Tyrese Haliburton's absence over the next several weeks will pose a serious problem for the Indiana Pacers. Currently, the team is sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, tied with similar 21-15 records with the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

With the East being arguably more competitive than ever, the Pacers will likely struggle to match Haliburton's output. Although they managed to hold off the Boston Celtics on Monday to secure a 133-131 win, coach Rick Carlisle didn't mince words when discussing the situation.

Given that Tyrese Haliburton is in the midst of a career year that's seen him serve as a major driving force in the Pacers' success, the loss is massive. Speaking to media members after the game, Carlisle was open about the situation, calling the injury a "very deflating moment."

Looking ahead at the Pacers schedule, the team will be tasked with matching up against some tough teams in Tyrese Haliburton's absence. On Wednesday, the team will face off against the Washington Wizards (6-30) in a game that many analysts are projecting them to win.

To close out the week, the Pacers will match up with the Atlanta Hawks (14-21) on Friday, before then playing the Denver Nuggets (26-12) on Sunday. With a tough road ahead in Haliburton's absence, it will be interesting to see how the team handles things going forward.