As the Indiana Pacers get set to play the Los Angeles Lakers during the in-season tournament championship on Saturday, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is praising the player who has gotten them to this point — Tyrese Haliburton.
After finishing just outside of the Eastern Conference a season ago when they went 35-47, the Pacers are now fifth in the East at 12-8. This is in large part thanks to the continued rise of Haliburton, who Carlisle knows is lifting the team around him.
“[Tyrese Haliburton] is a great, young player. He'll certainly be an All-Star this year,” Carlisle said. “He's the kind of guy you can build a team around because he influences winning in so many ways. He can put up a thirty- or forty-point night if needed, but he's a connector. He's going to be a 10-12 assist guy per night. He makes guys around him better and he connects with his teammates, the fans, the community and the organization. Those things make him very, very special,” via SiriusXM NBA Radio.
"[Tyrese Haliburton] is the kind of guy you can build a team around… When I was in Dallas in 2020, we desperately tried to move up to get him in the draft.”
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has always liked Haliburton 🔥
(via @SiriusXMNBA)pic.twitter.com/FzSStvl7ua
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 9, 2023
Rick Carlisle also shared a shocking revelation, that Carlisle wanted to trade for him while he was the coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
“When I was in Dallas in 2020, we desperately tried to move up to get him in the draft,” Carlisle said. “We thought he was the best player in the draft.”
Carlisle was unsuccessful in acquiring Haliburton while he was with the Mavericks, and instead drafted Josh Green 18th overall. However, he made up for it when he became the coach of the Pacers by trading for Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings. So far, the move looks like it's paying off big time.
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