“Not Asking You to Be Patrick Beverley”: Draymond Green Calls Out Tyrese Haliburton’s Lackluster Defensive Efforts

The New York Knicks ended the Indiana Pacers’ two-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden taking a 3-2 lead in the series. While this loss has put the Pacers in hot water, Tyrese Haliburton had an abysmal shooting night with a measly 13 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. On a recent episode of ‘Inside the NBA’, Warriors star Draymond Green called out the Pacers guard for his subpar performance on the court when his team needed the most.

While everyone on the squad should be held responsible for not even putting forth a challenge for the Knicks, fans and analysts had extra expectations from Haliburton. After the game, Green presented some harsh criticism for the youngster. He said,

“We’re not asking you to come out and be Patrick Beverley, we’re not asking you to come out and be Andrew Nembhard, we’re asking you to come out and give an honest effort.”

In the last three games, Hali was consistent with 20+ points on every occasion as the 24-year-old showed incredible control on the offensive and defensive end of the court. With the same hope, the Pacers were back at the MSG for Game 5, but nothing went their way.

Green used Beverley and Nembhard as examples of great defenders, but he said the fans aren’t expecting the same from Haliburton. He also advised the Pacers star that he should not let his team down again like this, especially when he expects them “to run thru a brick wall” for him.

These expectations have not been built out of nowhere. He has been a regular clutch player for the team and has taken them out of pressure situations, most recently in Game 3 of the last series against the Bucks. Amidst the criticism, one name is being underrepresented, despite valiant efforts.

Miles McBride should also get the credit for stopping Tyrese Haliburton

Undoubtedly, this was one of the worst performances from Haliburton, who is, in many ways, the leader of the Pacers and floor general of the squad. The franchise also expects a lot from him, especially since they signed him to a five-year, $260-million max contract.

While everyone is busy criticizing Haliburton for a poor performance, Miles McBride’s name is getting overshadowed despite putting up a spectacle on the defensive end.

The 23-year-old Knicks guard played a major role in restricting Haliburton. Along with his defensive assignment, McBride is also averaging 14 points and three assists in the last three games. When asked about guarding the Pacer star at the post-game presser, McBride said,

“I’m a defender first. I think what I have to do is to being able to guard down, guard up. I have a lot of tools at the end of the floor to being able to be aggressive. I think it is just part of my mentality.”

For Game 6, the teams will fly back to Indiana and the Pacers fans will wait with bated breath for Haliburton to force a Game 7 in the series. They hope to see their guard with a similar vigor as previous home games.