Tyrese Haliburton is showing why he is one of the top guards in the NBA at the moment.

Brown, Tatum lead Celtics past Pacers 128-123

Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers is the talk of the town these days, and rightfully so. The 23-year-old guard was always seen as one of the budding stars of the NBA, and he is clearly showing that right now.

Proof of that is the 6-foot-5 guard leading the Pacers to an In-Season tournament semifinal win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, 128-119, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He led the Pacers with 27 points, 15 assists and 7 rebounds. That performance drew praise from Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo, branding Haliburton as amazing.

“He’s’ amazing. He’s’ playing at a very high level, and you just got to tip your hat to him,” Antetokounmpo said.

Jeff Teague warned Jayson Tatum about Hali
Before the Bucks, the Pacers had to bring down the Boston Celtics, 122-112, in the In-Season tournament quarterfinal. Haliburton was at the helm in that game, finishing with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, already got some warning from former teammate Jeff Teague about Haliburton.

“Jayson Tatum, I told you Tyrese Haliburton is like that,” Haliburton said on the Club 520 podcast. “He’s the best guard in the league right now. He’s cold but he’s putting a little on it,” the 35-year-old guard added.

With Haliburton humming and stepping up, Teague is now seeing big things for the Pacers.

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There is no denying that the Pacers are playing at a high level. That could go up a notch if the Indiana Pacers go on to beat another powerhouse team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the NBA In-Season Tournament final.

Warriors regret passing up Haliburton
Several NBA teams had their chance to draft Haliburton in 2020. Ultimately, the former Iowa State Cyclone ended up with the Sacramento Kings. One person who regrets passing up Haliburton despite seeing his potential is former Warriors general manager Bob Myers.

He admitted that Haliburton had a good workout and was a pretty intelligent person when they sat down and talked.

“What bothers me more than anything was his workout was good, but when we met with him after, I should have known then because of who he is as a person and as a leader because you meet with people, you talk to him that that conversation left a mark because of how smart he is and how confident it’s not fake. It’s not arrogance. It’s confidence,” Myers said.

Haliburton is bound for greatness
Aside from showing he can do almost anything on the floor, Haliburton has proven he is a great leader and also has the respect of his teammates. No less than Pacers coach Rick Carlisle explained how the 12th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft compares to other guards he handled in the past – Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic.

“The thing that I really was impressed with is the way Ty trusted his teammates when they started trapping him all over the floor,” said Carlisle. “And you know, certain guys have the ability to deliver the ball in a way that creates confidence for teammates. I saw Jason Kidd do it. I saw Luka Doncic do it. And now we’re seeing Tyrese do it.”