NBA Point God Candidate No. 4: Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers guard is still not recognized enough on a national level. That should change this year, however, as Tyrese Haliburton emerges as the franchise’s next star.
Haliburton was the big prize Indiana landed when it traded Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings at last year’s trade deadline. In his Indiana debut, he scored 23 points, dished six assists and grabbed three steals, a preview of what was to come.
The Iowa State alum was great in his year-plus with the Kings, but he exploded during his 26-game performance with the Pacers in 2021-22. He averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists per game, hitting 41.6 percent of his threes.
There was buzz before this season that Haliburton had a shot at leading the league in assists. Through Wednesday night’s games, that has proven to be nearly prophetic, as Haliburton is averaging 10 assists per game. The only players averaging more? Trae Young and CP3.
Paul, of course, is one of the three best passers in the history of the league. During his illustrious career, he’s led the league in assists five times and has never recorded less than 6.7 assists per game for a season. Haliburton is already showing an ability to rival those marks.
Haliburton doesn’t always show the aggression or swagger of a star, but he’s slowly leaning into that identity. If he goes all-in, he could even be the next point god.