When Tyrese Haliburton took a bad step in the Kings’ 111-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks on May 2, the instant concern was that Sacramento’s prize rookie would not only miss the remainder of the season, but he might miss a good portion of the offseason as well.
When the MRI results came in, the collective sigh of relief around the Capital City could be heard for miles. A hyperextension and bone bruise doesn’t feel good, but it could have been much worse.
On the latest episode of the Old Man and the Three podcast, Haliburton gave a status update on the injury and it's all good news.
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SIGN UP HERE “I’m 100 percent. I’m doing all of my workouts 100 percent right now, I feel perfectly fine,” Haliburton told hosts JJ Redick and Tommy Alter.
Many players haven’t fared so well when they have a knee buckle outwards. Haliburton stayed down on the court for a few minutes, but as he headed to the locker room, you could see him placing weight on the leg, which was a good sign.
Like everyone else watching the action, Haliburton’s initial reaction was to fear the worst.
“I think more than anything, it was a scare for me,” Haliburton said. “I just kind of felt that in my knee and it was just an action that your knee is not supposed to do. I was very worried. I think I was just scared more than anything.”
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This is an incredibly important off-season for the 21-year-old guard. He needs to stack on some weight and get stronger for the rigors of the expected 82-game season starting in October.
A clean bill of health early in the offseason is just what both he and the Kings need. In addition to rehabbing and taking a much needed vacation to Hawaii, Haliburton also underwent Lasik eye surgery to eliminate the need for contacts moving forward.
Six weeks into the offseason, Haliburton is healed up, has taken a mental break and fixed his vision. Now the work begins.