Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was on JJ Reddick's “The Old Man & The Three” podcast and talked about his relationship with Philadelphia 76ers forward Buddy Hield. The two have been teammates on two teams: The Pacers and the Sacramento Kings from 2020-2022.
Haliburton took it back to his rookie season where he mentioned that he “hated” and “could not stand” Hield when they first started playing with each other. However, as time passed by, it changed for the star point guard as he expressed that a “synergy” formed between the two.
“My rookie year, I hated this guy as a basketball player, I could not stand him. Like he started at the two, I was kind of the backup right, I was the rookie coming in and it wasn't so much that like he's like in my way or I don't know, like when I'm on the floor with him he's always running towards the ball he never goes to the corner like he's always in the way, I couldn't stand him,” Haliburton said. “And then my second year I started to like kind of come along more like, I was now starting he was coming off the bench and then I would kind of slide back to the point guard role, and then I'd be on the floor with him and our synergy had just grown to a level that was a lot of fun.”
Tyrese Haliburton tells funny story about chemistry between him and Buddy Hield
The two would be involved in a trade to the Pacers from the Kings where they continued to build up their friendship. He would tell a humorous story to Reddick involving the two of them that showcased the bond and friendship they had with one another.
“Then he kept saying I'm getting traded this deadline you're coming with, but I get traded with them whatever, and then it just felt like from there our synergy was just like, we knew where each other were at all times,” Haliburton said. “We were playing Minnesota, but there's just so many possessions where like he passes the ball to me, he runs and sets a ghost screen, I come off, it's not there, I throw it back, then he throws it back, and I remember Taurean Prince and he's like y'all do know there's three other players on the court. That's just how it was when we first got there and I think a lot of our offensive identity is formed around me and him like even now with him gone, I think that some other guys are going to kind of have to go into that role.”
Haliburton and Hield split
However, Haliburton will have to lead the Pacers without Hield as he was traded to the 76ers in the recently passed NBA trade deadline. Hield was averaging 12.7 points while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and was also a solid three-point shooting threat as he now joins his fourth team after getting drafted with the sixth overall pick in 2016 by the New Orleans Pelicans.
In terms of Haliburton's numbers, he is averaging 21.8 points and a whopping 11.7 assists per game which he leads the NBA in. The Pacers are 31-25 on the season heading into the All-Stat break which puts them sixth in the Eastern Conference as their next game will be on Thursday, Feb.22 against the Detroit Pistons.
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