This season is Tyrese Haliburton's coming-out party to the NBA
In terms of player quality, the 2020 NBA Draft was relatively top-heavy. The top 3 picks, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, and Lamelo Ball at the time, were the consensus top 3. After that, it was anyone's game. Some projections saw Tyrese Haliburton selected at 4, though he dropped further than that in the real thing. Sacramento saw something they liked and selected Haliburton 12th overall. He would finish 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting and made the All-Rookie First Team.
Despite his immense success as a rookie, Haliburton's name failed to gain traction while playing with the Kings. The following season, he would be traded to Indiana in one of the most balanced trades in NBA history. The Kings needed a big man in Sabonis, who, along with De'Aaron Fox, led Sacramento to the third seed in the West with a record of 48-34.
The Pacers weren't a playoff team without Hali, though he earned his first All-Star selection, and this season, the Pacers are in the 8th seed in the East. His performance in the recent In-Season Tournament, though, has finally caused him to gain national recognition.
National TV for Tyerse
Prior to the start of the season, the Pacers were set to have just one nationally televised game for the entire year, January 30th, in Boston. However, the Pacers' performance in the In-Season Tournament allowed them to gain a few more.
Each knockout round was televised, and as Indy made the final, it meant that three of their games were televised, allowing fans around the country to see Haliburton and Indiana play.
National Television is not something the Indianapolis squad has gotten used to. Ever since the departure of Paul George, the Pacers have lacked a true star to draw viewers in. Sabonis was good, but he wasn't nearly as flashy as George was. Instead, when Haliburton arrived, the culture in Indiana changed. The young guard himself wasn't accustomed to nationally televised games either and spoke about his experience on The Dan Patrick Show.
"I didn't have my first national TV game until, I think, the end of my second year because we played Brooklyn," Haliburton shared. "I didn't play on TNT until this year."
Thy hype around Haliburton is real
Tyrese's exceptional performance this season has garnered well-deserved recognition, earning him First Team All-Tournament Honors and placing him among elite players like Giannis, AD, Kevin Durant, and LeBron. Quite the group to be a part of.
Following up on his All-Star selection last season, Haliburton is averaging a double-double this season, with 24.7 points per game and 12.0 assists per game.
His individual performance against both Boston (26/13/10 Triple Double) and Milwaukee (27/15/7) in the In-Season Tournament, in particular, has impressed fans around the league. Haliburton isn't mad about his slow recognition so far in his career.
"People haven't just never seen me play for the most part," Haliburton told Dan Patrick.
However, after his recent performances and throughout the season, it seems less and less likely that people won't recognize Hali's name or his play style.
