Last season, Tyrese Haliburton cemented his reputation as one of the best playmakers in the NBA by averaging a league-best and a career-high 10.9 assists per game. His emphasis on feeding his teammates led to a slight dip in the guard’s scoring numbers. However, according to teammate Obi Toppin, he wasn’t concerned about his points totals as he wanted to ensure his teammates had a spectacular season and secured the bag.
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On Theo Pinson’s Run Your Race podcast, the power forward shed light on how Haliburton’s unselfishness helped the Pacers have a stellar campaign. He said,
“[Tyrese Haliburton] is just a good dude, he’s fun to play with… He knew everybody needed to get paid last year or new contract situations last year. He understands ‘I’m on a court with these guys I’m going make sure they look good, make sure I look good.'”
Toppin was among those who benefitted from the guard’s selfless attitude, as he averaged a career-high 10.3 points on 57.3% shooting from the field. His impactful campaign prompted the Pacers to hand him a four-year, $58 million contract extension in the offseason. He wasn’t the Pacers only player who enjoyed a career year last season.
How Tyrese Haliburton helped Pacers players earn new contracts
Forward Pascal Siakam, who arrived in Indiana in January, was having an underwhelming year as a shooter in Toronto. However, after joining the Pacers and playing alongside Haliburton, he began getting better looks and his shooting numbers improved across the board, especially on three-point attempts, which shot up from 31.7% to 38.6%. It helped him earn a four-year, $188.95 million contract extension.
Guard Andrew Nembhard had a relatively quiet regular season, but in the playoffs, Haliburton trusted his backcourt partner to make big shots, and he did not disappoint. He averaged 14.9 points on 56% shooting from the field, including 48.3% from beyond the arc. His exceptional playoff display prompted the Pacers to hand him a three-year $58.65 million deal.
Veteran T.J. McConnell, who was in his fifth season with the Pacers last year, also benefitted from Haliburton’s impetus on creating good scoring opportunities for his teammates. He averaged a career-high 10.2 points per game on 55.6% shooting and shot over 40% from beyond the arc for only the second time in his career. His improvement left the Pacers with no choice but to hand him a four-year, $45 million extension.
In addition to the players having spectacular campaigns, the team also had an incredible season, as they finished runners-up in the inaugural NBA Cup and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. None of it would have been possible had Haliburton not shouldered the playmaking load and selflessly created terrific scoring opportunities for his teammates.
