Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton continues to look like a future NBA star. Last season, the Wisconsin native was selected to his second All-Star team and the All-NBA Third Team for the first time in his career. Additionally, he averaged 20.1 points and a league-leading 10.9 assists per game (which is also a career-high for the four-year pro).
Furthermore, Haliburton's impact is not just noticed in the stat sheet. The 24-year-old led the Pacers to an impressive playoff run, making it all the way to the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals as the No. 6 seed before losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in a four-game sweep.
The Pacers also ended the season as the best-scoring team in the league, averaging 123.3 points per game. This ranks sixth-best in NBA history.
A big reason for the team's offensive success is due to Haliburton's playstyle. He is a fantastic scorer on his own and can score from anywhere. However, he is also a great facilitator and playmaker.
Despite Haliburton blossoming into an All-NBA player, though, he and the Pacers are not flawless. The team's offense is elite, but their team defense is holding them back. According to Basketball Reference, the team finished with a 117.6 DRTG (seventh-worst in the NBA) and allowed 120.2 points per game (fourth-worst in the NBA) during the 2023-24 season.
With Haliburton now representing Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, he must showcase not just his defensive talent, but his overall defensive effort. The Olympic game is far more physical than the NBA game. If Haliburton and the Pacers want to take it to the next level, it all starts with their star player making his presence felt against some of the toughest teams in the world.
Draymond Green ripped Tyrese Haliburton's defense during the playoffs
Haliburton's poor defense has not gone unnoticed.
After the Pacers suffered a 3-2 series deficit to the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green spoke about Haliburton's lack of effort on the defensive end.
"You're The Guy…Give an honest effort & compete…If you take the easy way out on the defensive end every chance you get, those guys you need to run thru a brick wall ain't running thru that brick wall, & you're gonna be on your way home"
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 15, 2024
– Draymond Green to Tyrese Haliburton pic.twitter.com/jSZ6Dgf7th
“I’m going to take this another step forward with Tyrese Haliburton. You have to come out and compete at a level that says I want to move on. And that’s not just on the offensive end, that’s on the defensive end. When you come out and you hedge on a screen and you just slap behind a guy and the guy turns the corner, that is setting the tone for the team, because you’re the guy," Green said.
"We’re not asking you to come out and be Patrick Beverley. We’re not asking you to be Andrew Nembhard. We’re asking you to come out and give an honest effort and compete. When you slap and you stop on the defensive end and give up, you’re letting the other guys down. Those are the same guys that you need as a star to run through a brick wall for you."
"And if you take the easy way out on the defensive end every chance you get, those guys that you need to run through a brick wall ain’t runnin’ through that brick wall and you’re gonna be on your way home. So he has to come out and compete on both ends of the floor like his life depended on it. Not be lockdown, just show some effort so then the help can get there and help you.”
Haliburton's defense will certainly be worth monitoring as he and Team USA aim to win their 17th gold medal in Olympic men's basketball history.