One of the league's greatest players ever was Michael Jordan. Just ask the Indiana Pacers as his Chicago Bulls often beat them in the 90s during both the regular season and playoffs.
Having a star athlete with that caliber of talent can transform your franchise. The Bulls won six titles in a span of eight years. They won three in a row to open the 90s and then another three after Jordan un-retired from the league.
Just a few seasons ago, the Pacers organization made a swap with the Sacramento Kings. They essentially sent Domantas Sabonis out west to bring on Buddy Hield and their current starting point guard, Tyrese Haliburton.
While it is hard to imagine another Jordan, Haliburton has already developed and grown into an offensive threat. Last season, he led the league in assists with 10.9 per game. He also ranked in the top 40 scorers, recording 20.7 points a game.
The future looks bright for Haliburton and the Pacers
We now know that head coach Rick Carlisle and everyone else within the organization is thinking 'championship.' Why not?
In the league's first In-Season Tournament, Indiana made it as far as the finals. They beat the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics, 122-112. Haliburton registered a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. He also connected on five of his 11 shots from behind the arc.
The Pacers advanced to the semifinals after thwarting the Milwaukee Bucks. Haliburton delivered another stellar showing with 27 points and 15 assists. This was the second game in a row where the point guard was the team's leading scorer and shot above 55% from the floor.
The Pacers finished the season with a 47-35 record. They returned to the playoffs after a four-year absence. Indiana upset both the third and second seeds (Bucks and Knicks, respectively) in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Now, the Pacers have put the league on notice as they are favored to do well in the Eastern Conference, again. The team is poised to win the Central Division and earn a top-four seed come the next postseason.
For the Pacers, having Haliburton on their roster gives them a window of opportunity and point of contention to make it back to the NBA Finals. This is a stage that Indiana has not played on since 2000 when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
They could easily be in talks regarding the league's top teams the next five years. It is quite possible the Pacers snatch their first ever in the NBA. After all, they did have the league's best offense during the regular season last year.
"“I’m greedy, I want to be great... So, I mean, what is there to be satisfied about? I got a lot more to prove.”"Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton is wrapping up his first time representing the USMNT in the Olympics. Though he hasn't seen as much playing time as his peers LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and more in Paris, France, the Pacers point guard is basking in the experience of playing for his country.
Playing eight minutes in the game against South Sudan, he tallied eight points and an assist while making two of his three shots behind the three-point arc. In the quarterfinal game against Brazil, Haliburton made his only shot and recorded an assist during his eight minutes of play.
Haliburton (and the Pacers) also represented during the 2024 NBA All-Star Game and Weekend. Along with Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin, the Indiana trio won the Kia Skills Challenge in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
During the All-Star Game itself, Haliburton had 32 points in 27 minutes. He also produced seven rebounds and six assists. Expect to see him in more All-Star games to come.
With the next one in 2025 being held in the San Francisco Bay Area, it would not be a surprise to see Haliburton representing the Eastern Conference again. This would make his third All-Star game in a row.
At 3,003 total points scored with the Pacers, Haliburton can climb further up the all-time rankings from 37th to somewhere in the top 20. He currently sits just 1,809 more points to enter that territory.
Entering the 2024-2025 NBA season, the fourth-year veteran already has 1,586 assists which puts him at ninth in Pacers' history. Another 200 assists will rank Haliburton fifth best, leapfrogging Travis Best (1,785 in seven seasons).
Dare we say, there is the potential Haliburton claims an MVP Award? Be it in the regular season or an NBA Finals? The possibility is more realistic than it is a fantasy. But in due time.