The Indiana Pacers have seen a strange decline from star point guard Tyrese Haliburton this season. After leading this organization to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago, Haliburton has seemed to regress in terms of his play.
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Last season, Haliburton averaged 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game. In comparison, Haliburton is only averaging 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game this year.
Injuries may be playing a part in things but Haliburton has refused to let that be an excuse. His poor performances have been a major talking point and it seems some other players have noticed as well.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has never been shy about making his feelings on any subject be known. Green has a podcast where he lets loose and sometimes he can make some controversial claims.
In a recent episode, Green took aim directly at Haliburton and his placement on the ESPN Under 25 NBA player list. Green mentioned that he believed Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams should have been put ahead of Haliburton on the list.
To his credit, he did say that he hates these type of lists before proceeding to give his thoughts on the matter.
"I hate these lists," Green said. "I hate these lists with a passion. For example, Dyson Daniels is having a really good season with Atlanta, but two months ago, no one believed in him. Now he’s 23 on the list. No Cam Thomas?"
"What justifies Tyrese Haliburton being in front of Jalen Williams? Don’t get me wrong—Tyrese is a very good player, an All-Star, and an Olympic gold medalist," Green said. "But when I look at this, Jalen Williams has more upside. Jalen is 6’9″, can pass, shoot, get to the cup. Two weeks ago, he played center, then switched to point guard. When I see stuff like this, I wonder who validates it. Yes, Tyrese has done more, but Jalen Williams’ upside is higher than a lot of people on this list. Not just Tyrese—this applies to a lot of names.”
Williams has averaged 22.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder dominate in the Western Conference. Both players are special talents but it's unfair to compare them due to the different positions that they play.
Haliburton has generally been seen as the better player even if the stats from this season may show something different. Haliburton still has time to turn things around but he will need to do so quickly if he wants to change the narrative around him.
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