Tyrese Haliburton has been playing at an elite level all season long. Recently, he became an All-Star for a second year in a row and will be a starter for the East on Sunday’s clash with the West. The 23-year-old guard is the undisputed leader of the Indiana Pacers, but things were not easy for him until he moved to the NBA with the 12th overall pick of the Draft back in 2020.
“It’s really crazy. I take a lot of my days to assess where I am and where I’m headed, and how crazy it is, especially where I come from. I guess that it’s, I’m a big dreamer. My dad has always preached to me to dream big and have faith in what you wanted to do,” Tyrese Haliburton said in an interview with NBA.com.
“Some people tried to shoot it down. But I never let that get to me. I felt like it was possible. If I could get into college basketball, we’d see what happened. Within two years I had the opportunity to go into the NBA.”
Haliburton was playing for the Sacramento Kings before the franchise sent him to the Pacers in 2022, along with Buddy Hield, in exchange for Domantas Sabonis. His move to Indiana altered his career and Haliburton emerged as one of the top point guards in the league.
ARE YOU KIDDING?!
Tyrese Haliburton goes off the backboard to himself and hits Pascal Siakam for three đŸ¤¯ pic.twitter.com/NSEp48PVFX
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 11, 2024
Tyrese Haliburton says being the Indiana Pacers’ leader is ‘a big responsibility’
Tyrese Haliburton has a leading role in Indiana’s system and the Pacers view him as their best chance of becoming a title contender again for the first time since the Paul George era.
Haliburton is the one that runs all plays when he is on the floor and admitted that creating for his teammates and being the Pacers’ leader is a ‘big responsibility’.
“I view that as a big responsibility. I feel like I have the power to help other guys succeed because I have the ball. Empower him to make shots, empower him to move on from mistakes. But I also feel like I have the power to take that away if I’m letting my emotions get the best of me or I’m frustrated. For me, the biggest thing was learning how to lead the right way,” the All-Star guard said, via NBA.com.
Tyrese Haliburton has averages of 21.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 11.7 assists (NBA-best) for an Indiana team that is sixth in the East with 31 wins and 25 losses. Two games separate the Pacers from the New York Knicks, who hold the fourth spot with a 33-22 record.
After the addition of Pascal Siakam, the franchise is optimistic they will maintain a Top-6 seed push once the NBA returns to action after the one-week break for the All-Star Game.
