The Meteoric Rise of Tyrese Haliburton: A Superstar in the Making
For many NBA fans, Tyrese Haliburton’s jump to stardom has been evident in recent weeks. From his tribute to Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden to his near-perfect statistical performance against the Knicks, and of course, the game-winning shot in the first game of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Haliburton has proven to be an elite player.
After the game, Haliburton captivated in his post-game interviews, joking about the delay in recognizing the potential of his team, the Indiana Pacers. He even presented his first Puma shoe model, describing them as the “secret ingredient” for his decisive shots.
This season, he has scored an impressive 13 of 15 shots to tie or win the game in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime, the best field goal percentage in a single season since game-by-game records began in 1996-97.But for those who know Haliburton closely, this rise to superstar status has been a years-long process, which began unusually in Philadelphia.
Haliburton, in his final weeks with the Sacramento Kings, felt that something was missing from his game. Averaging only 13.8 points per game, his numbers were not what a young player seeking a maximum contract extension should have.
“The biggest problem [Haliburton] had was his lack of scoring aggressiveness.”
Drew Hanlen, NBA skills coach
His agent contacted the renowned NBA skills trainer, Drew Hanlen, who imposed a condition for working with him: Haliburton had to take 14 shots in the next game against the Sixers.
In that game, Haliburton attempted 19 shots, scoring 11 and finishing with 38 points, his then-personal best. Ten days later, he was traded to the Pacers.
Since then, he has worked with Hanlen, who emphasizes that aggressiveness is key to Haliburton’s and his team’s success.
Image description: Tyrese Haliburton talks with Scott Van Pelt about the game-winning shot in Game 1.
Confidence has been a recurring theme for Haliburton. Recently, he experienced moments of doubt, even feeling he didn’t deserve his own shoe line. Hanlen has worked to overcome that negativity, encouraging him to believe in himself.
Haliburton shared a message from the X account @studio7Inbox, which analyzed the Pacers’ performance based on Haliburton’s shot attempts. Hanlen, surprised, was glad that Haliburton was focused on his game before his first Finals appearance.
“We tell him to look at the orange thing. Look at the hoop as much as possible.”
Drew Hanlen
The result is that, although Haliburton seems to be in the midst of a superstar transformation in these playoffs, this process began three years ago and still requires attention.
After Haliburton shot only seven times in the Game 5 loss against the Knicks, Hanlen traveled to Indianapolis to help him prepare for Game 6. He found orange objects all over the house and left them outside Haliburton’s door.Leaving the Paycom Center after Game 1, Haliburton asked how many shots he had attempted. Thirteen. “Shit,” he said. “[Hanlen] won’t be happy. I know I was terrible. I made the shot and everything, but there’s a lot of room for improvement. I can be better.”
