ESPN’s latest offseason team preview put Tyrese Haliburton in an eye-catching spot: in Dean Oliver’s view, the Pacers guard has a legitimate argument as the best player from the 2020 NBA Draft, even over Anthony Edwards.
That’s a notable claim considering Edwards went No. 1 overall to Minnesota and has the bigger scoring résumé. Oliver pointed out that Edwards scores more and has earned All-NBA Second Team honors, while Haliburton’s All-NBA recognition has come on the Third Team.
Still, Oliver said the deeper player metrics tilt Haliburton’s way. He cited EPM, LEBRON, xRAPM, and ESPN’s Net Points as areas where Haliburton rates higher, while noting Edwards has the edge in DARKO.
Haliburton’s path to this conversation has been a winding one. Sacramento drafted him 12th in 2020 before sending him to Indiana in February 2022 as part of the trade that brought Domantas Sabonis to the Kings. Since then, he has grown into the engine of the Pacers’ offense, averaging 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 10.1 assists in his time with the team.
His 2024-25 season was cut short by a right Achilles tear in Game 7 of the Finals against Oklahoma City. Haliburton went down in the first quarter of Indiana’s 103-91 loss, and he underwent surgery the next day.
Before the injury, he had played 73 games and posted 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game while shooting 47.3% from the field and 38.8% from 3-point range. That season ended with his second All-NBA Third Team selection, and he also owns two All-Star nods, from 2023 and 2024.
Indiana felt his absence in a big way. Without Haliburton, the Pacers went 19-63, a record that set a franchise low for losses one season after the team won 50 games and reached the Finals.
ESPN’s Andre Snellings also highlighted how much the Pacers’ passing game changes with Haliburton in the lineup. Indiana ranked 12th last season with 27.7 assists per game, down from third at 29.2 the year before and first at 30.8 the season before that.
Snellings projected the Pacers to climb back near the top of that category with Haliburton directing Rick Carlisle’s motion offense.
There’s also the business side to keep an eye on. In Zach Kram’s section of the preview, extension talks with Haliburton and Pascal Siakam were identified as the next possible item on Indiana’s agenda, though Kram did not view either situation as urgent because both players remain under contract for several years. Haliburton already signed a five-year, $244 million extension in July 2023, and his salary is set at $48.9 million this season, $52.3 million in 2027-28, and $55.7 million in 2028-29.
Another ESPN report this month from Jamal Collier also raised the possibility that Indiana could ease Haliburton back in at the start of the year. Pacers training camp opens Sept. 29, with the regular season beginning Oct. 21 at New Orleans and continuing with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 23.
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