Tyrese Haliburton reached a career milestone on Friday following the Pacers’ 109-90 win over the Lakers at home.
On February 8, 2022, the Indiana Pacers decided that it was time for them to rebuild the team, trading established star Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings for nascent floor general Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton was already good two years ago, but he has taken off since he became the undisputed star in Indianapolis. Now, all of the 24-year old’s hard work reached another level of payoff, with Haliburton securing the first winning season of his young career after the Pacers took a 109-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
It hasn’t been the best stretch of games for Haliburton as of late; but against the Lakers, the Pacers star snapped out of his funk, putting up 21 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on 7-15 shooting from the field. All Haliburton cared about was getting the victory on the night that he forgot what a milestone it was for him to secure the 42nd win for the Pacers this season, locking down an above .500 record to get back on track after three consecutive losing seasons.
“Yes! Yes, I forgot about it. Yes. First winning season in the NBA. Yes! … I’m excited to finally clinch a winning season so hopefully there’s a lot more to come,” Haliburton said in his postgame presser, via Bally Sports Indiana.
Haliburton after win No. 42 this season: “Yes! Yes, I forgot about it. Yes. First winning season in the NBA. Yes! … I’m excited to finally clinch a winning season so hopefully there’s a lot more to come.” #Pacers pic.twitter.com/WHNWWpYsD5
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) March 30, 2024
Given the Pacers’ trajectory and the amount of assets they have in the coming years, this certainly looks like the mere beginning of what should be a fruitful rest of the 2020s for Tyrese Haliburton in Indianapolis.
The Pacers star’s first three years in the league were a mixed bag
The Kings have made some farcical draft blunders over the past few years, but in 2020, they got the steal of the NBA Draft when they selected Tyrese Haliburton with the 12th overall pick. It was astute of their front office to draft the best prospect left on the board despite him being a point guard — the position franchise cornerstone De’Aaron Fox played.
It quickly became apparent that Haliburton was going to become a keeper for the Kings. However, there was permeating roster imbalance throughout the Kings roster; Sacramento went 45-64 with Haliburton on the roster, and with the team having two quality floor generals, the team made the decision to send the younger guard to the Pacers in exchange for All-Star center Domantas Sabonis.
Trading Sabonis away meant that the Pacers were done with being a middling team, preferring to start over from scratch and see how far Tyrese Haliburton can take the team. With the team depleted, Indiana struggled upon Haliburton’s immediate arrival, and it didn’t help that they wanted to play for lottery odds instead, giving them the chance to select Bennedict Mathurin during that year’s draft.
And then during the 2022-23 season, the Pacers looked like a transformed team, with Haliburton making the leap to All-Star status. Alas, a midseason injury halted the Pacers’ momentum in its tracks, and they finished six games below .500. Still, it was apparent that the pieces were there for Indiana to make the jump to playoff contention in 2023.
That is exactly what they have done, and now that they brought Pascal Siakam on board, the Pacers’ core for the next few years is starting to take shape much more clearly. All that’s left now is for the Pacers to add a legitimate two-way star on the wing, and then they might be on their way to championship contention.
About the Author
Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he’s a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.
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