5 Team USA teammates Pacers wish they could pair with Tyrese Haliburton
By Jack Simone
5 Team USA teammates Pacers wish they could pair with Tyrese Haliburton: 3. Paolo Banchero
Sticking with the idea of pairing Tyrese Haliburton with an elite big man, adding Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero to this current Indiana Pacers team would create a lethal duo for the future.
Fresh off his Rookie of the Year season, Banchero is already looking like one of the stars of tomorrow’s NBA. He was the best player on a Magic team that looked prime to make a huge leap in the coming years.
He and Franz Wagner are the duo down in Orlando, but what if Banchero had an elite playmaker next to him? How great would his numbers and efficiency look then?
That would be the idea behind pairing him with Haliburton in this hypothetical dream scenario. The athleticism and pure scoring ability Banchero brings to the table would make Haliburton’s life easy when running the Pacers’ offense.
Plus, similar to the idea of adding Jaren Jackson Jr., the frontcourt of Banchero and Myles Turner would be massive, adding some much-needed height to the Pacers’ lineup.
And at just 20 years old, there aren’t many younger players whom Indiana would want to bring in to play next to Haliburton. He would be the ultimate “build for the future” addition when picking from Team USA’s roster.
Hypothetical starting lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Paolo Banchero, Myles Turner