The NBA In-Season Tournament has delivered us with some wacky uniforms and wild court designs. This new tournament has also shined the spotlight on Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, a team many were overlooking when the year began.
The 2022-23 season did not bode well for head coach Rick Carlisle and the Pacers, as they won just 35 games and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Pacers, an organization used to competing at the very top of the Eastern Conference standings, were obviously disappointed in what occurred a season ago. However, they understood everything was about to change with Haliburton leading the way on the court.
So far this season, the Pacers find themselves 8-5 overall and they have picked up some impressive wins over Eastern Conference foes in the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers. The two wins against the Cavs and Sixers came were in-season tournament group play games.
Indiana entered Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks with a 2-0 record in East Group A. With a win, they could punch their ticket to the in-season tournament quarterfinals and win the group. In a game that saw 309 combined points, Haliburton led the Pacers past the Hawks, making Indiana the first team to advance in the inaugural tournament.
Despite Hawks All-Star Trae Young going for 38 points and eight assists, it was Haliburton who once again stole the spotlight, propelling his team to a win with 37 points, 16 assists, five rebounds, and three total steals. With this performance, Haliburton joined LeBron James as the only players in league history to record at least 35 points, 15 assists, and five made triples while shooting 60 percent or better from the perimeter.
“It is exciting,” Haliburton said after the team's win in Atlanta. “I believe we are the first time to clinch, and we are ready to go. We just have to keep taking care of what's in front of us every day. We have a few more games before the quarterfinals, so we have to take care of what is in front of us first. Obviously, we want to play in Las Vegas and win the the championship, of course. It would be awesome. We just have to take it one game at a time.”
The new in-season tournament has given players and teams around the league a reason to elevate their play early on in the season. For Haliburton, he has used this tournament as a means to not only prove to everyone that the Pacers are to be taken seriously this season, but as a way for him to take the next step in his career.
Tyrese Haliburton's impact during in-season tournament
The Pacers are now 3-0 in this season's inaugural in-season tournament after taking down the Hawks on Tuesday night. East Group A now belongs to Indiana and even if they lose to both the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Pacers will still be advancing to the quarterfinals with a trip to Las Vegas on the line.
Believe it or not, the Pacers are the best offensive team in the league right now. They are averaging a league-high 128.1 points per game and have shot 50.4 percent from the floor as a team, which also ranks first in the league. During the in-season tournament, the Pacers have averaged 136.7 points per game while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor. It's a small sample size, but Indiana has been dominant in their three group play games.
Tyrese Haliburton has been the conductor of the Pacers' high-octane offense all season long and throughout the start of the in-season tournament.
In the team's three games against Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Atlanta on Tuesday night, Haliburton has averaged 29.3 points, 14.7 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range. What's even more impressive is the fact that Haliburton has only turned the ball over ten total times, giving him a very impressive 4.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“Certain guys have the ability to deliver the ball in a way that creates confidence for teammates,” Carlisle said in his postgame remarks on Tuesday night. “I saw Jason Kidd do it, I saw Luka Doncic do it, and now we are seeing Tyrese do it. His trust in his teammates is another big reason why this win happened tonight.”
Aside from the fact that Haliburton currently leads the league in assists per game during the in-season tournament and during the regular season as a whole, the 23-year-old guard has made 16 total threes over his last two tournament games. He has also recorded at least two steals in each of these three games, allowing the Pacers to do what they do best in terms of running in transition.
Perhaps he is not the scoring guard that De'Aaron Fox is and maybe he is an overlooked guard in this league. Haliburton does not let the outside noise impact him, though, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win games. The fact that he can do so while winning during the group stage just adds value to his resume for the in-season tournament MVP award.
Can Tyrese Haliburton win the in-season tournament MVP?
When the in-season tournament comes to an end and the first-ever NBA Cup is given out to the champions, one player will receive the honor of being named the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament MVP. Could that player wind up being Tyrese Haliburton?
There is no set criteria for how this award is going to be given out. It may go to a player that leads his team to the championship, or it could go to a player who puts up insane numbers but loses before the championship game.
When looking at Haliburton's numbers so far, there is no denying that he is currently the front-runner for this award. Out of all players to have participated in at least three in-season tournament group stage games so far, Haliburton ranks sixth in scoring, first in assists, fourth in steals, and first in total threes made.
The Pacers guard has by far been the most efficient and consistent player during this tournament. The added bonus for Tyrese right now is the fact that he had led the Pacers to a perfect 3-0 record, claiming East Group A.
This MVP award for the in-season tournament is likely going to go to a player who at least leads his team to the semifinals in Las Vegas. The Pacers are a team that nobody expected to be able to compete for the NBA Cup, so why shouldn't Haliburton be at the front of the line for the MVP award right now?
Indiana has scored at least 120 points in all three of their in-season tournament games and without Haliburton, they may not have won any of these games. Given the fact that he is going to likely finish as the league leader in assists per game, the fact that Haliburton can score 30-plus points on any given night is just an added bonus.
One of the most unselfish players in the league right now and a team-first player, Haliburton is clearly the favorite for the NBA In-Season Tournament MVP award. Should he receive this recognition, the next conversation that will be had revolves around whether Haliburton will be in consideration for the regular season MVP award.
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