Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is happy to be representing Team USA for the second year in a row. He was on the FIBA World Cup team last Summer. While that team did not live up to expectations, he's hoping for a different result this year in the Olympics in Paris.
Haliburton is playing on a very talented Team USA roster. He's going to be coming off the bench again as he did last year. Still, he knows how he can affect the game and make a positive impact toward winning games. He's a great passer and everyone on the team knows that.
Playing time is somewhat of a question with him. He's an All-NBA player, but so is almost everyone else on the roster. He's also not a good defensive player. So how many minutes is he going to see? Whatever that number was, it just went up after some interesting news.
Tyrese Haliburton should see more playing time now that Kawhi Leonard has pulled out of the Olympics
News came out on Wednesday afternoon that Kawhi Leonard is pulling out from the Olympics. In a statement released by USA Basketball, it seemed like the Clippers didn't want him to play and risk getting hurt again. It doesn't sound like Leonard wants to pull out but has to.
So what will that do to Haliburton's playing time? I think it will increase it. The guy who will replace Leonard is Derrick White, so Haliburton will see time over him. Bringing White on would also mean that the team has three Celtics players on it.
While this news might change how much playing time Haliburton will get, it doesn't change how Haliburton will play once he's on the floor. He's someone who's going to set the tempo on offense and make threes when he has the opportunity. He knows his role on this team.
Pacers fans can't wait to watch him represent the country on such a big stage. It will be a great learning experience for him as well.