Tyrese Haliburton has undoubtedly become one of the breakout stars of the playoffs as his style on and off the ball has led to the Indiana Pacers being one win away from the Finals. In Game 4, Haliburton became the first player in NBA playoff history with 30 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and zero turnovers. Haliburton has been an All-NBA selection in each of the past two seasons and is drawing comparisons to Stephen Curry.
“His ability to play both on and off the ball is so unique,” a Western Conference executive said of Haliburton. “It allows him to be Steph Curry-esque.”
Haliburton’s equal opportunity offensive creation stands in contrast to more heliocentric operations.
“[Haliburton is] throwing it ahead, playing out of dribble handoffs, running pick-and-rolls, so he gets everyone involved,” a Western Conference scout said. “So [Aaron] Nesmith is throwing himself into defense because he knows he’s going to get touches and shots.
“I didn’t think [Haliburton] had this jump in him. He’s shown so much more just because he makes his teammates better. Those guys have all been put in positions to succeed. All these guys are the best versions of themselves now because they have been instilled with confidence and optimized.”