So often in the NBA, stars are highlighted for their top skills. No one is shocked by Steph Curry's show of shooting anymore, nor do people doubt Giannis Antetokounmpo's ability to get to the rim, or LeBron James' basketball IQ.
However, within that conversation, we lose track of the supplementary skills that make players so much more than just the sum of their parts. In this series, we will take a deeper look at those secondary talents that certain Indiana Pacers leverage to maximize themselves.
The last focal Pacer was Pascal Siakam, whose slashing often goes deeply underappreciated despite its necessity to Indiana's identity.
If that identity is built on Siakam, however, it is defined by Tyrese Haliburton.
When you think of Tyrese Haliburton, what comes to mind? Is it the speed, the pace that makes it seem like he was always meant to be in Indiana? Is it the assists flying around the court in transition and in the half-court, equally fast no matter the situation? Or, quite simply, is it the smile?
Any option is fair; this is not an either/or situation. Haliburton is a great many things as a player. His usage rate is less than 75% of what one would expect for any lead guard, let alone one of the most gifted playmakers of a generation. He's a fascinating scorer, even if his points-per-game output is not as high as his contemporaries'. He is an excellent shooter even though his form looks uncomfortable and inefficient.
Tyrese has a great many superpowers that make him so good. In that way, he is no different from any other star. However, something about Haliburton is special that no one else can duplicate. It is the basis of what brings players to Indiana, and keeps fans hopeful even after a dreadful 19-win season.
Tyrese Haliburton may just be the most joyful player in the NBA.
A grin is never too far from his face, teeth shining on the biggest stage. Even since his Achilles injury, a deeply traumatic moment in Haliburton's short career, he's been cheesing in every media availability and promotional event.
It may not seem it, but this mental fortitude he has is at the center of what the Pacers need to return to greatness.
While it may not be a skill, per se, it is no less vital than his ability to navigate a pick-and-roll or his defending in space. Quite simply, the Pacers need to still be joyful to survive.
This should come as no surprise to those fans who watched both the Paul George and Victor Oladipo eras fall apart the second the teams stopped wanting to be there. It's such an obvious thing, and yet the effects of fun on a team's chemistry are somehow underacknowledged.
It's hard to predict what will happen this year, but as there is every year, there will be a stretch of the season in which the Pacers are miserable. That is when joy galvanizes and apathy divides.
Tyrese Haliburton is the welder holding things together in that way. It's hard to play Pacers basketball. It's hard to run like that all season long, no matter how well conditioned you are.
To keep the team going strong, there is no element of Haliburton more important than that ever-shining smile.
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