Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the best point guards in the NBA in recent months.
Last season, Tyreese Halliburton led the NBA in the Assists with 10.6 per game, which was the main reason the Indiana Pacers were able to go for a shocking run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Although slow start this season has prevented him from creating an All-Star team, his recent play has been some of the best guard work that the league has seen before.
In the season, he averages 18.7 steels and 9.2 points, shooting 39.1% from the 3-point range, but two major factors give (and should) a nod for his second career All-NBA.
In the first month or so of the season, the Indiana Pacers had to fight injuries to both backup tycoons and starters Andrew Nenbird and Aaron Nesmith. Since then, the Pacers have skyrocketed in their rankings and could host a playoff series against the Detroit Pistons.
In addition to injuries, Halliburton has been slower to start the season. However, he’s been kicking his play into gear recently, easily the best passing guard in the NBA, and has been putting up the numbers jealous of Chris Paul.
| span | GP | ppg | APG | tov | SPG | 3pt% |
| Season Start – January 1st | 34 | 17.6 | 8.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 34.5% |
| January 1st – All-Star Game | 18 | 18.2 | 8.2 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 42.9% |
| All-Star Game – Currently | 17 | 21.3 | 11.2 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 46.4% |
In fact, at just 25 years old, Halliburton passed poles most in his career game with 20 points, 10 assists and turnovers. His ability to care for the ball is impressive. He leads the league with a 5.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. In his final four weeks of play, he recorded 8.8 assists for every turnover.
These flashy numbers make it difficult to ignore his All-NBA cases, but another factor can make him a rock to make a team.
So far, Halliburton has played in 69 games. Two years ago, the NBA introduced the rule that players must fit 65 games to consider postseason or All-NBA nominations.
The security guards who formed the team last year were Luka Donsic, Shay Gilgauss Alexander, Jalen Branson, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry and Halliburton.
All of these players have a solid case that is repeated, but the durability of the Halibuon gives him an edge.
| player | The game has been played | The game remains | Games you need to reach 65 |
| Luka Donsic | 44 | 7 | twenty one |
| Shy Gilgaus Alexander | 73 | 6 | n/a |
| Jalen Branson | 61 | 6 | 4 |
| Anthony Edwards | 73 | 6 | n/a |
| Devin Booker | 70 | 6 | n/a |
| Stephen Curry | 63 | 7 | 3 |
| Tyreese Halliburton | 69 | 6 | n/a |
Don Sic has not made a cut this year, and the Phoenix Suns’ horrifying season keeps Booker out and Branson is expected to return this season, but he missed his final 13 games with injuries. Certainly, Cade Cunningham will likely make his first All-NBA team, but Haliburton had a better season than Cade, Edwards, Booker and undoubtedly Brunson.
The Pacers aren’t in the biggest market or are the least attracting attention, but Halliburton quickly named himself thanks to the arrival of the Olympics.
“The better he gets, the better he gets,” said LeBron James on March 26th. He mentioned his impressive development over the season.
“Tyree is just a cool guy. It was the first time I’d hang out with him during the Olympics. I loved every moment of it. He’s a really cool guy. And also a great family.”
As if his statistics, durability and improvements were not enough, the support from James is the icing on the cake.