On Monday night, the Indiana Pacers were showcased on the national stage with Tyrese Haliburton and company going head-to-head against the Boston Celtics for the chance to compete for the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the In-Season Tournament.
Even though the Pacers were underdogs against a team that many believe is the best in the NBA right now, Haliburton was able to lead his team to victory in front of their home crowd in order to advance to the next round and face the winner of the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks matchup on Tuesday night.
At this point in time, Haliburton has made enough of an impression on NBA fans and his peers around the league that he’s known to be a star on the rise and the new face of the Pacers franchise.
However, the Knicks weren’t convinced he was the right man to bring in during the NBA Draft a few years ago, which ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claims he tried his best to steer the team toward, via ClutchPoints.
Stephen A. Smith says he tried to convince the Knicks to draft Tyrese Haliburton 🗣️
“I know a few members of the Knicks… I was arguing with them. ‘Draft Haliburton. You got Julius Randle. You ain’t gonna play Obi Toppin so much… You need Haliburton!’”pic.twitter.com/qd4PPvExm6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 5, 2023
Passing up on Haliburton likely stings for quite a few teams in the league that chose not to bring him in during the 2020 NBA Draft, as he ended up going No. 12 overall to the Sacramento Kings to be De’Aaron Fox’s sidekick in the backcourt.
If there were to be a redraft today, Haliburton would almost certainly go No. 2 overall to the Golden State Warriors right after the Minnesota Timberwolves took Anthony Edwards at No. 1.
Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers would likely go No. 3 overall to the Charlotte Hornets instead of LaMelo Ball, who has been good but has been unable to stay healthy.
The rest of the draft is filled with role players and prospects that didn’t really pan out, but there are definitely some stars in Edwards, Haliburton, Maxey, and Ball.
NEXT:
Former Player Names Suns Star The Best Player In The League
