Indiana Pacers: Haliburton’s all-star bid and his biggest competition for starting

Trae Young( 27.3 PPG, 10 APG, 2.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.1 BPG)

Young’s Hawks currently sit 8th Eastern Conference, right above Haliburton’s Pacers. Like usual, Trae Young is the center of it all, and even averaging a career high in assists per game(10.0 APG).

While the record has not been as impressive as people would have liked it to be, even with the offseason addition of all-star Dejounte Murray, there have been a plethora of injuries this season for the Hawks, and Young is doing his part to keep the team afloat with his stellar play.

With similar assists number to Haliburton and a vast difference in scoring prowess, Young is another name that Haliburton will be competing closely with for a starting spot. Young’s Hawks currently sit at 16-15, and are 8th in the Eastern Conference.

Kyrie Irving(26.1 PPG, 4.5 APG, 4.8 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 1BPG)

Subject to scrutiny over the past year for his eccentric behavior and missed time due to Covid-19 controversy, Kyrie Irving has had his most consistent season in a while, demonstrating elite scoring and playmaking ability to help the Brooklyn Nets to the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference after a dreadful 2-6 start to the season.

Something that may hold Irving back however is his off the court behavior, coming under fire for recent anti-semitic comments that led Nike to end their contract with the Nets star. Actions like this will certainly cost Irving in the fan votes, and could put his all-star status in jeopardy, unless his elite statistics from the season are enough to get him voted in. Irving’s Nets currently sit at 19-12 and are 4th in the Eastern Conference.

Honorable Mentions

James Harden- Philadelphia 76ers(21.9 PPG, 10.5 APG, 6.6 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG)- Harden’s play has been great when healthy, but he has missed a lot of games to this point.

Jrue Holiday- Milwaukee Bucks(19.2 PPG, 7.6 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG)- Holiday’s Bucks currently sit at the #1 seed in the East, but his counting stats might not be enough to warrant a starter spot at this point.

As it currently stands, Haliburton should be a near lock to make his first all-star game this season, but may face an uphill battle when it comes to being selected as a starter, with Brown and Mitchell being his biggest competition right now for the spot. Do you think Haliburton can play his way into an all-star starter spot this season? Leave a comment below!