Play less? Luke Walton explains why Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton will get fewer minutes
Kings fans won’t be seeing as much of 21-year-old rookie sensation Tyrese Haliburton as the team comes out of the All-Star break.
Haliburton was in uniform to start the second half of the season against the Houston Rockets on Thursday at Golden 1 Center, but Kings coach Luke Walton said the team will take a cautious approach to his return from a calf injury.
Walton said the team’s medical staff has placed Haliburton under a minutes restriction, but he wouldn’t specify how many minutes the former Iowa State star will be allowed to play. It’s also not clear when the minutes restriction will be lifted. Haliburton logged just 18 minutes in a 125-105 victory over the Rockets, well below his season average of 29.7. He finished with five points, three rebounds and two assists in his first game since Feb. 25.
Walton might have preserved Haliburton’s minutes due to the blowout nature of the game against the Rockets, who have lost 14 in a row, but before the game Walton made it clear he would like to have Haliburton on the floor more. Walton noted the second-half schedule will be grueling for the Kings, who will play six games in 10 days during their upcoming East Coast road trip.
“The minutes are not enough,” Walton said. “We want more minutes, but they are what they are. … With the amount of games that are coming, the fact that he’s in his rookie season and now he’s already played more than an entire college season, getting his body accustomed to this type of wear and tear, night in and night out, this is just kind of the number that our sports science team feels is best for him and where he’s at in this stage of his career. So we’re thrilled to have him back, but, yeah, we’re going to be careful with him and make sure we keep him throughout the rest of this grind-out season.”
Haliburton missed four games before the All-Star break after experiencing left calf soreness in a 140-121 loss to the New York Knicks on Feb. 25. Haliburton has also dealt with other minor injuries over the first half of the season, but he said he was pain-free going into Thursday’s game.
“I’m looking forward to my body being fresh,” Haliburton said. “I’ve been battling some different things this year with some knee soreness, shoulder, kind of (the) whole body, and I feel like the All-Star break has given me a reset. I feel really good.”
Haliburton, the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He won the first two Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards and is widely regarded as a leading contender for Rookie of the Year, trailing only LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets.
Haliburton acknowledged the start of the season was a struggle as the Kings went 14-22 over the first half, but he repeatedly talked about getting better “day by day.”
“I can’t go back in the past and change anything, but what I do on a daily basis can impact the future,” Haliburton said. “And when I say future, I don’t mean a year or a couple of years. I’m talking about tomorrow. I’m just trying to make the next day better.”
Many Kings fans are eager to see Walton move his prized rookie into the starting lineup, but Haliburton said he isn’t concerned with that discussion.
“I’m just taking that upon myself to kind of be the voice and just keep bringing energy from the bench,” Haliburton said. “I’m just doing whatever is really asked of me right now. As of right now, the best place for me to help the team is coming off the bench and bringing energy, but I’m fully prepared for any role that I’m given. So whatever is asked of me, whatever is going to help us win basketball games is what I’m going to do. However I can help is what I’m here for.”
