Pacers Star Named 'Face of NBA' by Surprising Source

"He's damn good... He's a young, rising star in this game." Smith said on "First Take" recently. "I need to see more consistency before I give him that kind of label."

Despite Smith's assesment, a former Pacers superstar believes Haliburton has earned the designation.

Speaking on his show "Podcast P with Paul George," nine-time All-Star forward Paul George — now with the Philadelphia 76ers — advocated for Haliburton to make the grade.

"In my eyes, I think he is a superstar. He's the face of the NBA," said George, whose 31-year-old 76ers teammate Joel Embiid was named league MVP just two seasons ago. "He is the No. 1 option. He's a setup point first, but he can be your late-game scorer, he's been a clutch performer late in games. He can be an isolation player, that's just not his calling."

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Following a solid Indiana stint, George also struggled with playoff consistency during stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder and L.A. Clippers.

"I want to see him continue to do this, which I know he will," George added. "To Stephen A. Smith's point of... stamping him as a superstar, you show that you can do it on a night-in, night-out basis, now — with the target on your back — that's when you're bona fide, that's when you're solidified in his eyes."

Through 15 playoff games this year, Haliburton is averaging 18.7 points on .461/.330/.800 shooting splits, 9.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks a night.

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