Tyrese Haliburton Is Recruiting Other Stars To Join Him On The Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are not considered among the NBA's most desirable situations, but Tyrese Haliburton is giving players plenty of motivation to consider a move to his team. Apparently, according to Adrian Wojnarowksi, Tyrese is already actively recruiting some of the game's top players.

"Haliburton said to me, 'I'm gonna get you shots, I'm gonna make life easy for you and we are going to win' and that is really Haliburton's mission right now," said Woj. "He wants to use this tournament, this season, to start making the case to star players around the league: come play with me in Indiana."

Historically, the Pacers have been a competitive franchise with stars such as Reggie Miller, Danny Granger, and Paul George leading the way to team success. And while Indiana hasn't won a title in a very long time, Tyrese is hoping to change that as the team's newest star and the face of the franchise. Already, we can see the impact he's creating.

Haliburton Has Arrived

Drafted 12th overall to the Kings in 2020, nobody was sure what kind of player that Hali would become. In his first season, he only averaged 13 points per game for the Kings but he was showing flashes of star potential from the very begining. Of course, it wasn't until his move to the Pacers in 2022 that he had his breakout moment. In 26 games after the trade, Tyrese averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists for Indiana and it was then that he was first viewed as a potential star. Over the past two years, Haliburton has continued to grow and expand his game, to the point where he's one of the best guards in the league right now.

With averages of 26.9 points, 11.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 52% shooting, Haliburton is currently having his best season yet and it could turn into an MVP-worthy campaign if the Pacers start to win more games. For now, though, the jury is still out on if Haliburton can maintain this play in the postseason, but it wont be long before we find out for ourselves.

Indiana Pacers Are For Real

Tyrese Haliburton is the star of the show in Indiana, but hes not the only player outperforming expectaions. Alongside Tyrese, Myles Turner has also been feasting for the Pacers this season and his play on the interior has been huge for the team so far. Between Myles, Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield, and Bruce Brown, the Pacers have a solid roster that can keep up with even the best in the league.

At this point, the only thing holding this Pacers team back is their defense. Currently ranked 28th in defensive rating, the Pacers' only path to victory is by outshooting their opponents. This season, with no real way to improve defensively, the Pacers can only hope that their offense is good enough to overcome their defensive shortcomings. But if they really want the best chance at a title, the Pacers need to bring in some reinforcements to help slow down their opponents. Either way, with one of the NBA's brightest young stars fighting on their side, the Pacers have it better than most teams around the NBA right now.