The entire basketball world spends the dead period of the offseason just waiting for the NBA to return. But while they wait, the FIBA World Cup rolls on, and Indiana Pacers fans can take solace in the fact that Tyrese Haliburton has looked amazing.
Haliburton has been a standout performer for Team USA this year despite coming off the bench. At the time of writing this, the squad has lost just one game (to Lithuania) but faces an elimination contest against Italy on Tuesday morning.
With all of the hype around Haliburton and the USA’s World Cup squad, an interesting question can be asked – which players stick out the most as the best fits next to Haliburton?
If the Pacers could choose any player from Team USA to steal to play alongside Haliburton, who would it be? Let’s rank the top five.
5 Team USA teammates Pacers wish they could pair with Tyrese Haliburton: 5. Jalen Brunson
As one of the best players on Team USA, it was too hard to leave Jalen Brunson off this list, even though he and Tyrese Haliburton play the same position.
While things could get a bit clunky in the backcourt with both Brunson and Haliburton, we’ve seen both players play next to other ball-dominant players.
Haliburton played alongside De’Aaron Fox with the Sacramento Kings, and Brunson played on the Dallas Mavericks next to Luka Doncic. It may not be ideal, but they could do it.
The awkward fit is why Brunson comes in at rank five on this list, but he’s too talented to be left off completely. A backcourt of Brunson and Haliburton would create serious problems for opposing defenses.
Hypothetical starting lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Bruce Brown, Jarace Walker, Myles Turner
5 Team USA teammates Pacers wish they could pair with Tyrese Haliburton: 4. Jaren Jackson Jr.
Despite some of the criticism that Team USA doesn’t have enough size, Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. would be an amazing player for the Indiana Pacers to pair Tyrese Haliburton with.
Jackson Jr. just wrapped up a Defensive Player of the Year campaign with the Grizzlies and made his first All-Star Game, too. His defensive prowess in the paint has led him to back-to-back seasons of leading the NBA in blocks.
Next to Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, Jackson Jr. has helped propel the Grizzlies back into relevance quicker than anyone could have imagined after the Mike Conley-Marc Gasol era.
Next to Haliburton in Indiana, Jackson Jr. would be an elite secondary scoring option, as his blend of athleticism and three-point shooting would make him a top-notch pick-n-roll and pick-n-pop threat.
The defensive one-two punch of Jackson Jr. and Myles Turner would be lethal, too, as they are two of the best shot-blockers in the league and would make life hard for opponents in the paint.
Plus, at just 23 years old, Jackson Jr. still has plenty of room to grow. He’s getting better every year, and for a Pacers squad that needs to be thinking about the future, that matters.
Hypothetical starting lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Jaren Jackson Jr., Myles Turner
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
5 Team USA teammates Pacers wish they could pair with Tyrese Haliburton: 2. Mikal Bridges
After getting traded by the Phoenix Suns in the Kevin Durant deal, Mikal Bridges turned into a bonafide star for the Brooklyn Nets, and he’s exactly the type of player the Indiana Pacers should want to surround Tyrese Haliburton with.
Post-trade, Bridges averaged over 26 points a night on amazing efficiency for Brooklyn, shooting 47.5% from the field and 37.6% from distance on 6.7 three-point attempts per game.
His blend of isolation scoring ability, off-ball movement, and catch-and-shoot talent make him the prototypical wing star in today’s NBA. Any team around the league would love to get him on their squad.
Bridges is the exact type of player the Pacers have been searching for this summer. Indiana has reportedly been attempting to trade for Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby, and Bridges would simply be an upgraded version of that idea.
At 27 years old, Bridges is entering the prime years of his career, and adding him to the current Pacers lineup would not only give Haliburton a great co-star but it would also solidify the Pacers as one of the better defensive lineups in the NBA.
Bridges is the two-way threat that Indiana desperately wants to add, and in this dream scenario, they’d get to do just that.
Hypothetical starting lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Mikal Bridges, Jarace Walker, Myles Turner
5 Team USA teammates Pacers wish they could pair with Tyrese Haliburton: 1. Anthony Edwards
Coming in at number one on this list is Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who has separated himself from the pack as the best player on Team USA during the FIBA World Cup.
Choosing the best player on the roster was an easy decision made easier by the fact that Edwards is also super young. He’s going to be great next season and for many years after that.
Simply put, Edwards has the “It” factor. When you think of a superstar in today’s league, on and off the court, Edwards is it. He’s a dynamic player with an entertaining personality.
On this current Indiana Pacers squad, Edwards would take over as the team’s primary scoring option, allowing Haliburton to set him up for easy chances at the rim and behind the three-point line.
Mike Conley will be a solid presence for Edwards in terms of a playmaking point guard, but playing next to Haliburton would open up a whole new world of possibilities for the Timberwolves star.
The one-two punch of Haliburton and Edwards in Indiana’s backcourt would be lethal, especially on the offensive end. And with Myles Turner in the paint to shore things up on defense, the Pacers’ top three guys would be elite.
Hypothetical starting lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Bruce Brown, Jarace Walker, Myles Turner