Tyrese Haliburton led the NBA in assists last season at 10.9 per game while averaging 20.1 points and 1.2 steals, too.
We’re counting down 24 key storylines heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. Our senior analysts will dissect a new topic each day as we help you get ready for opening night on Oct. 22.
Here is storyline No. 14:
Here’s why Tyrese Haliburton is going to blossom into a huge star.
He’s going to stay healthy. That’s the next frontier for Haliburton, who already blossomed last season into an All-NBA selection and earned his second All-Star appearance.
The lean, 6-foot-5 point guard met last season’s challenge of having his game translate into team success, helping the Pacers improve by 12 victories and surprisingly reach the Eastern Conference Finals. But he also missed 13 games to injury, then got hurt again in the playoffs, forcing him to sit out the last two games of Boston’s sweep. There were even rumblings that his limited playing time and DNPs with Team USA in Paris were related to nicks and ailments.
At just 185 pounds, Haliburton often does take a beating against more physical opponents. He is the focus of most foes’ game plans and draws the most aggressive defenders, which can exact a toll.
So that was the 24-year-old’s focus when the Olympics ended: Getting into the weight room and working with the Pacers’ staff to build himself up. As coach Rick Carlisle told NBA.com in early September: “This summer he worked hard on his body. Getting stronger and hopefully becoming more and more durable.”
There are other reasons Haliburton’s curve is trending upward. His command of the game and understanding of situations and teammates is better through reps and from laudable continuity to the Pacers roster. Pascal Siakam will be on board from the jump and Bennedict Mathurin will be back. The team is one of the league’s deepest, and feisty backup T.J. McConnell can give Haliburton even more minutes off the ball this season.
How’s this for an intangible, too, that could spark further improvement by Haliburton?: He arguably is no longer the best pro player in his market. That status might belong to Caitlin Clark, the WNBA Fever’s newly minted Kia Rookie of the Year.
Haliburton and Clark are friends and he’s a big supporter of the Fever. But remember, as the proverb goes, steel sharpens steel. Having two of the best ascending in the same fieldhouse might be good for all concerned.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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