How did Tyrese Haliburton become one of the smartest and most talented players in the NBA? The Pacers point guard is not only having a hot start to this 2023/24 campaign, he’s also leading the entire league with his 12.2 assists per game.
Of course experience plays an important role in his elite court vision, but the player recently revealed that playing NBA 2k has improved his game and basketball knowledge in general. In a recent interview with The Ringer‘s Rob Mahoney, he explained precisely how this has impacted his on-court performances.
“Honestly, a lot of my hoop knowledge in knowing how to play comes from video games,” Haliburton admitted. “When you’re playing 2K and you’re on that camera angle where you can see everything ahead of you, that’s how I think sometimes.”
Tyrese Haliburton says a lot of his basketball knowledge comes from playing video games, per @RobMahoney.
Real one. 💯🎮 pic.twitter.com/R8dsi8I4CO
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 13, 2023
However, the 23-year-old still believes there’s a lot of room for improvement in his game and is trying his best to find a common ground between all of his talents.
“The biggest challenge for me is finding that balance,” Tyrese shared. “There’s probably a world out there where I could realistically average 15 assists. There’s a world out there where I could average 25 points. Well, I’m trying to find a mixture of doing both.”
This ambition and style of play is precisely the reason why the Indiana franchise signed the young star to a five-year max extension contract worth $260 million. The Pacers administration not only believes he’s worth every penny due to his performances, but they also believe his presence can attract future free agents to build a team around him.
“I play a style of basketball that people want to play,” Haliburton expressed. “I think that’s part of the reason why they signed me to the deal they signed me to. I’ve got long-term stability here because they know that I can help bring people here—not only with who I am as a basketball player, but who I am as a person.”
Coaching staff and teammates explain how Haliburton’s style of play helped created Indiana’s new DNA
Teammate Myles Turner recalled the time he’d been out for weeks with a foot injury and had to stop himself from running back to the court once he witnessed how easy Haliburton made the game for the squad. “We were playing at the time with some of our G League centers and some guys trying to earn minutes and stuff like that,” he said. “And they were finishing with 20 and 10.”
“I feel like when I got here, it was kind of about finding our offensive DNA,” Haliburton recalled.
The Pacers gradually decided to trust in the vision that placed their point guard as their on-court leader and things simply started to fall into place. Head coach Rick Carlisle said that the results came shortly after and it painted a picture of what Indiana could potentially achieve.
“The initial team that we had that year, we were last in the league in dunks,” he explained. “I don’t know where we were in pace, but it had to be the lower half of the league. And then Tyrese walked in the door. It was just a burst of change.”
