Las Vegas— From his easy smile to his smooth jumper and sure hands that keep the ball away from opponents, Tyrese Haliburton is on the rise.
He's led the Indiana Pacers to the NBA's first in-season tournament title by defeating the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks with near-perfect games.
The Pacers' trade of Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento for Haliburton and Buddy Hield revolutionized their franchise, demonstrating the strength of the point guard and the risk-taking needed to succeed.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle raved about Haliburton and Nash's leadership and stylistic similarities. Both provided their teams a much-needed identity.
People like Tyrese will succeed. “I think he would have succeeded in Sacramento,” Carlisle said Friday after Pacers practice. “I think Nash comparisons are accurate. Mostly due to skills, vision, and scoring
More importantly, Ty connects with people. Steve constantly held his hand up and gave a five when he approached a teammate on the floor to chat, which was great to witness. He touched teammates. Tyrese is similar.”
Nash has one of the more intriguing league careers. Beyond his apparently unlikely two MVPs, his two career rebirths and return to the franchise that picked him to achieve his greatest are nearly unheard of.