The Indiana Pacers might have the next big thing in Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton is a star in the NBA right now and is the frontrunner in all-star votes for the Eastern Conference. In Haliburton’s first two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, he has made a major impact.
Haliburton served his first season in the NBA on the Sacramento Kings where he earned all NBA First Rookie Team. Haliburton averaged 14 points and 7 assists in his rookie season. Haliburton was then part of a trade sending him to Indiana and Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento. In an article by Rob Mahoney of The Ringer, he said, “ It took all of two practices for Haliburton to completely change the way the Pacers play basketball.” Tyrese sped the game up in practice and played so fast and hard. He immediately changed the entire play style of the organization. Haliburton was making the game easier for everybody else and the players realized that. Tyrese made an immediate impact for the Pacers averaging 20 points and 10 assists per game. This led him to be on an NBA All-Star Reserve Team. Tyrese is almost halfway through the 23-24 NBA season and he is averaging 23 points and 12 assists per game. Tyrese’s efforts have led the Pacers to fourth in the Eastern Conference. Tyrese is not the only one having a great season for the Pacers. According to Rob Mahoney of The Ringer, Pacers fans are saying, “ With Tyrese Haliburton, all things are possible.” People in Indiana are relying on Tyrese to bring the state a championship.
Tyrese recently had a halt in his amazing season. According to Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star, “Tyrese had a scary spill in their game against the Boston Celtics on Monday where he had to be carried off the court by his teammates.” What looked like a major injury only ended up being a grade one left hamstring strain which will only leave Tyrese on the sideline for a little over two weeks. The Pacers will be tested with their starting point guard being out for these next two weeks.
After the disappointing season last year, Tyrese is hoping to lead the Pacers to the Playoffs and make a run. The Indiana Pacers have been on a downward spiral after losing many key players in previous years. Ticket sales are starting to rise for the Pacers and more people are wanting to come watch the team. The people love Tyrese and the rest of the team and are looking forward to seeing how far in the playoffs they can go.
Tyrese is a young player on a young NBA team. Haliburton needs to continue proving he can lead this team to the playoffs. His injury will just be a minor setback in his season. When Tyrese comes back from injury, he will continue to lead his team and will make the All-Star game as he is leading in All-Star votes in the east. A lot is to come from Tyrese Haliburton and his future is very bright.
