Tyrese Haliburton, the rising star of the Indiana Pacers, has made headlines during this year’s playoffs, showcasing his skills and determination on the court. We all witnessed that through a historic playoff run after an up and down regular season and shaky start to the post season. Haliburton only played 26 minutes over the tournament though—the least of anyone on his team. In fact, he hardly played at all in the semifinal and final games. His efforts in the previous rounds were instrumental to Indiana’s surprising run.
If that is the case, in his last 21 games Haliburton gave an All-Star caliber performance. He averaged 20.6 points and 11.0 assists on 53% shooting. By the All-Star break, that season had started to go off the rails. Over that stretch, he averaged 17.8 points and 8.5 assists on 45% shooting. He’s been snubbed from the All-Star Game. Just a year removed from bringing the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals, he felt his ship had sailed. The state of affairs led him to consider the season a write-off.
Haliburton’s journey is an inspiring story of resilience. What to expect He has always taken pride in the underdog role, dating back to when he was the unrecruited high school player in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. During his time in the Lab, he displayed an amazing tenacity and willingness to run toward the problems that needed solving. Just two weeks before the playoffs, an anonymous player poll by The Athletic called him the most overrated player in the league.
At a critical juncture of Indiana’s playoff contest, Haliburton made an astounding layup to switch the momentum. He perfectly slipped between two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the last play to win the game. He took three dribbles back and then followed with an incredible 25-footer from way beyond the arc. The ball rattled in with only 1.1 seconds remaining on the clock! His knack for coming through when it matters most has turned into a signature part of his game.
Haliburton’s tremendous basketball IQ and overall skills have impacted every realm of his team. You can notice this in their much quicker ball movement and constantly chirping on the floor. His relentless trash talk and stoic approach to crunch time have rubbed off on his teammates. Myles Turner, his teammate, emphasized Haliburton’s unique ability to elevate his game, stating, “Tyrese, he searches it out, in a sense, because it gets him going.”
Haliburton had developed a deep connection with Hooper and then-legendary player Reggie Miller, which was evident when Haliburton hit that game-winning shot. He pivoted over to Miller and they shared their victory dance, quieting the New York boo-birds that loved to heckle them.
Haliburton credited the belief his team and coaching staff gave him on his shot selection. So I told you my group is asking me to shoot those photos. This is an indication that the confidence provided by his organization has a huge impact on his decision-making in-game.
As crowds cheered or jeered him, including chants of “OVER-RATED, clap, clap, clap” from Cavaliers fans, Haliburton remained focused on his game. Reflecting on this experience, he told us that, at that moment, they were clowning on me. How am I gonna act? This mindset is yet another testament to his unwillingness to lose even when the cards are stacked against him.
Leave a Reply