Rajon Rondo joined DeMarcus Cousins and Rachel Nicols on Showtime Basketball‘s Bully Ball podcast. They discussed the impact Tyrese Haliburton had during the In-Season tournament. Cousins believes that Haliburton has put the league on notice. Rondo pointed out that he has always been good but he didn’t get enough limelight. Both of them agreed that the Pacers Guard has become one of the top PGs in the league.
Advertisement
Rachel Nichols asked if teams would make defensive adjustments after his performances during the In-Season tournament. She was wondering if teams would look at him in a “different way”. Cousins expects him to be on a similar level even after teams adjust their schemes.
‘‘Regardless of what defense is thrown at him, I think he’s going to be able to go and produce every night and lead his team. He’s shown that. Will teams adjust? Absolutely. Will that make a difference, I just don’t think so,” stated Cousins.
Rondo mentioned that he has been under the radar because he has played in small markets like Sacramento and Indiana. He also expressed that teams have always had him on their scouting report. The 2x NBA champion also pointed out that he has always made teams “pay” regardless of how teams guard him.
Nichols then asked if Haliburton is in the top-five list of current PGs for the 2023-24 season. To this Rondo responded, that he certainly believes that he is a top-five PG. He took notice of the fact that the efficient playmaking guard has rolled out 15+ assists in more than six games. Cousins then expressed, “It’s a young guard’s league.”
He and Rondo agreed that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Haliburton, and De’Aaron Fox belong in the top-five PGs list. Boogie then commented, ‘‘We leaving out Dame, we leaving out Steph.” As per Nichols, Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry are a lock for the top-five list. She then asked the former Kings Center to round off the top-five list.
Cousins included Gilgeous-Aleander, Haliburton, Fox, and Doncic in his initial count. Then he realized that Curry also deserved a top-five spot as he looked to fill up the fifth list. While he did include Curry as an afterthought, Damian Lillard found no place in his list.
Tyrese Haliburton has given a lot of hope to Indiana Pacers
The 2023 NBA All-Star has grown his game to a superstar level. Last season, he set a high bar after averaging 20.7 points and 10.6 assists per game. This season, he has raised the standard further.
He is averaging 26.3 points and 12.4 assists per game while shooting 52.1% from the field and 44.3% from the three-point line. These numbers are a rare occurrence and as a result, the efficient PG is sixth in the latest NBA MVP ladder.
Due to his exploits, the Indiana Pacers have captured 13 wins and have lost just eight games thus far. They are fifth in the Eastern Conference at the time of writing. The team also made it to the In-Season tournament Final but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
