When Tyrese Haliburton was traded from Sacramento to Indiana, everyone knew he would become the face of Pacers basketball.
Of course, in just 67 games played with the team, he has already emerged as a franchise cornerstone and one of the game’s best point guards.
Unfortunately, not everyone has been so quick to buy in to Tyrese. Earlier this season, Knicks announcer Wally Szczerbiak went viral for his extreme criticism of the young Pacers star.
“Mr. supposed wanna be fake All-Star with the big miss… last chance down 3 for the wannabe All-Star, let me keep it that way… He is in his second year, he’s a very good player, he’s not going to make the All-Star game. A guy like Julius Randle or Jalen Brunson will make it over Tyrese Haliburton. Tonight we saw why.”
His take aged poorly enough in the days following the statement, but it looked even worse after the All-Star rosters were announced, which curiously included Haliburton over both Randle and Brunson.
Tyrese Haliburton Fires Back At Szczerbiak After Being Named All-Star Reserve
We all knew that Haliburton would respond if he got selected for the team. While Szczerbiak already issued an apology, Hali made sure to rub it in by making Szczerbiak his profile picture on Twitter… with a banner portraying his feelings toward the man.
Tyrese Haliburton’s new profile pic after making All-Star last night: pic.twitter.com/jiYpXmrZpr
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 3, 2023
It’s a not-so-subtle shot by Haliburton, but he has more than earned the right to talk like this. Over 41 games with the Pacers this season, the young stud is averaging 20.3 points, 10.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 47% shooting.
The Pacers have performed well above expectations thanks, in part, to him and the confidence he has instilled in the group.
“I think the gains that we’ll see in the next 2-3 yrs are coming from today,” said Tyrese on the Pacers. “It’s kind of like the Grizzlies. You got a young group of guys together who learn from eachother and work everyday, now they’re 1 of the best teams in the league. That’s what we’re trying to get to.”
It remains to be seen what the ceiling is for this current cast of characters, but the future is bright in Indiana and Tyrese Haliburton is the one leading the way.
No doubt, this will be one of many All-Star appearances for him going forward.
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