Tyrese Haliburton is now an Olympic gold medalist, although he recognizes he didn’t have to do much at the 2024 Paris Olympics to become one. After the medal ceremony, Haliburton hilariously roasted his role on Team USA in Paris.
“When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A.”
When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A🏅 pic.twitter.com/xpshYZhMyA
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 10, 2024
Someone was going to make this as a meme on social media at some point, so it was quite smart to put it out there himself. Haliburton barely featured for Team USA during the Olympics, but to his credit, did not cause much of a fuss over it. He was always energetically cheering on his teammates from the bench and while some mocked him for it, I applaud him for putting his ego aside and doing what should have been done.
Haliburton ended up averaging only 2.7 points, 0.7 assists, and 0.3 steals per game at the Olympics. He didn’t play in the semifinal or the final and featured in just three of Team USA’s six games at the tournament.
While some might have been surprised by how small of a role Haliburton played, I wasn’t. Team USA head coach Steve Kerr had slowly removed Haliburton from the rotation during the exhibition games. He played 20 minutes in the first one against Canada but didn’t play at all in the last one against Germany.
You’d think that Haliburton would do well running the offense for the second unit, but Kerr clearly didn’t feel there was a need to have the 24-year-old out on the court for a significant period of time. Now that they’ve won the gold, there is no questioning that decision either.
Tyrese Haliburton’s Time Will Come
While Haliburton barely played in Paris, I think his time will come in Los Angeles in 2028. The two-time All-Star will be 28 years old when the next edition is held and I expect him to be one of the lead guards for Team USA.
Haliburton, who averaged 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in the 2023-24 season for the Indiana Pacers, should be at the peak of his powers then. This experience in Paris and getting to learn from the likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant should help him greatly as well.
For now, though, Haliburton’s focus would be on having another successful season with the Pacers. They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and are hoping to go a step or two further in 2025.
Many viewed that run by the Pacers as a bit of a fluke, though, as both the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks, whom they faced in the first and second round respectively, were dealing with injuries. Haliburton is keen to prove that was not the case and it will be interesting to see how far he takes them this time around.
I am not confident the Pacers will be back in the Conference Finals next year, though, unless they get a little bit fortunate with injuries again. They have got two great pieces in Haliburton and Siakam, but they need more to compete with the top dogs in the Eastern Conference.
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