Tyrese Haliburton navigates his new reality
The Indiana Pacers' All-Star guard is facing increased attention on the court. Rick Carlisle details how Reggie Miller transformed his game in '99 & that it's about helping the team function better.
Tyrese Haliburton was the breakout star of the in-season tournament, both on the court and on social media.
On the court, he helped the Pacers to quality wins over the Cavaliers, 76ers, Celtics and Bucks. Their 6-0 record earned them one of four spots in Las Vegas and then ultimately in the championship game against the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pacers were scheduled to appear on national TV just once before the season; then, because of their tournament success, they went from playing on TNT to ESPN and then ABC in three consecutive games.
They were the darlings of the first-annual tournament and Haliburton was the reason why.
He also scored on social media, experiencing the fastest Instagram follower growth of any NBA players (+40%), according to the NBA. He now has over 623k followers.
Moreover, digital content featuring the face of the Pacers delivered 122 million views, jumping him into the top 10 most-viewed player in the NBA during that stretch. And leading up to Christmas Day, that number had grown to 146 million.
It’s no surprise that LeBron is number one in content views, followed by Victor Webbanyama, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo rounding out the top five. Then there is Luka Doncic and Haliburton, who was also one of five players named to the All-Tournament Team.
Haliburton led the Pacers to six wins by averaging 27.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 13.7 assists per game — and now he’s starting to see the other side of it on the court.
Increased production has led to increased attention from opponents.
Substantially more.
“He’s playing a high clip,” Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said last week. “He’s a great player. I think he does a lot of adjustments within games to recognize and read.”
And that’s what makes him special. He’s a self-described basketball junkie and so, of course, it’s bothering him how his play hasn’t been up to par since the tournament. That goes for the entire team.
In the eight games since Las Vegas, he’s turned it over at least three times in each game and is averaging four turnovers per game. And the Pacers’ record has dropped to just above .500 at 15-14.
To be clear, this isn’t all on him. The bigger point is that with great talent comes great responsibility. And now 30 games into the season, he’s continuing to learn, grow and adapt his game — just like other stars before him.
Opposing teams are now trying to make everything difficult on Haliburton and to tire him out, especially with the Pacers thriving in transition. The Rockets had Dillion Brooks defend him the full length of the court and the Magic put different players on him, including 6-foot-10 forward Jonathan Isaac. (Haliburton stands 6-foot-5.)
In his first year as a Pacers, Haliburton worked to strike the right balance between getting teammates involved and taking over. Especially late in games, where he’s been one of the most reliable players in the league. During that time, he talked with several greats before him, including Sue Bird.
“It’s interesting,” he began, chuckling with a big smile on his face. “Everybody has the answers. Everybody knows exactly what I’m supposed to do, how I get out of the slump. Everybody’s got the answers except for me, I guess. That’s been the funny thing of these recent struggles.