Tyrese Haliburton is morphing into a superstar

Despite coming off a season where he led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014, was named third-team All-NBA and won a gold medal, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton was not looked at as a superstar in many NBA circles.

In fact, one poll full of anonymous NBA players released right before the playoffs began listed Haliburton as the “most overrated” player in the league. Combined this with the fact his points and assists per a game slipped just a tad in the regular season, he didn’t make the All-Star team and it’s reasonable to see why some viewed Haliburton as just another guy heading into the playoffs.

Fortunately for him and Pacers fans, the playoffs are where stars are born and Haliburton has risen to the occasion. He has hit multiple game winning or game-tying shots while producing multiple star-making, and even historic, performances. As a result, the Pacers are one win away from making the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.

“I must be doing something right if that’s the case, I don’t have a big speech or comment on it as all I care about is the people in this locker room and winning games,” Haliburton said in a news conference during the first round of the playoffs about his "overrated" designation. “Not too worried about that, I’m confident in my own skin and not worried about what anyone thinks as my teammates trust me.”