It's always a treat to see a young team with loads of potential begin to figure things out. The Indiana Pacers are one of those teams. Led by third-year future Point God Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers have now gone a surprising 22-18 through 40 games following their Friday night 108-99 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. Perhaps this is the start of their road to, at the very least, consistent playoff contention, mirroring the path Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have taken in recent years.
At least Tyrese Haliburton thinks so.
Speaking with Wes Goldberg of Fansided's The Step Back, Haliburton couldn't help but be excited over the Pacers' future prospects.
““It’s hard not to [daydream about the future], right? We’re all excited about it,” Haliburton said. ““I think the gains that we’ll see in the next two-to-three years are coming from today. […] It’s kind of like Memphis, right? You got a young group of guys together who learn from each other and work every day, and now they’re one of the best teams in the league. That’s what we’re trying to get to.”
That's not too lofty a goal for Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. Indiana has drafted well in recent years, selecting two talented guards in Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard in the most recent draft. Moreover, they have also made solid moves on the side, nabbing rim-protecting stalwart Isaiah Jackson in a draft-day trade and buying low on Jalen Smith. Even Chris Duarte, the Pacers' 2021 lottery pick, has shown flashes of being a keeper.
The Pacers' plethora of high-potential young prospects bodes well for their goal of following in the Grizzlies' footsteps. Haliburton and Ja Morant are incredible All-Star talents, but one star is not enough to make up a contending team. Morant has Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane around him as stars to grow alongside, as well. Nonetheless, nothing is guaranteed in the association. Thus, Haliburton knows better than to rest on his laurels.
“It’s easy for young teams in the league to not win and be like, ‘We’re trying to build’ or whatever. But, man, we have a chance. We have a chance to win some games. We’ve been surprising some people throughout this year, so we’re just focused on every day, how we get better,” Haliburton added.
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