MVP big cover Tyrese Haliburton aims to go ‘all in’ in Las Vegas

The 2023-24 NBA season is full of fun surprises. Few expected Victor Wembaneyama to make an impact from scratch, few thought the Minnesota Timberwolves would be the best team in the league at this point, and few expected the Orlando Magic to be the best team in the league at this point. Even fewer imagined it would be a great revelation. That’s not all. There was another unexpected surprise.

Tyrese Haliburton He not only established himself as the leader of the Indiana Pacers, who boasted an 11-8 record and reached the Final Four of the NBA Cup. One of the best point guards in the NBA.

No one has more assists than him. 11.9 basketball passes per game; That’s significantly higher than Trae Young’s average of 10.6. But he’s not only capable of producing a game unlike anyone else in his NBA. His big leap forward is in his scoring ability. Haliburton went from averaging a respectable 20.7 points to averaging 26.9 points, the 13th highest in the entire NBA.

And it does so with amazing reliability. Field goal success rate 52.1% That number includes 44.7% of his triples on nearly nine attempts per game. Four hits from beyond the arc in each game.

Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander… there are many names who (rightly) deserve to win NBA MVP at this point in the season, but there’s no reason not to include them in the discussion. . Pacers point guard.

Not only is Haliburton at the best level in the league, he’s accepted responsibility and, more importantly, shown determination. The Pacers were one of four teams to reach the Final Four for the first time in NBA history, along with the Lakers, Pelicans, and Bucks. The top four teams from the in-season tournament will meet in Las Vegas to crown the winner of the inaugural tournament, which will include the Pacers. Undefeated since the start: an unblemished 5-0 win over the Boston Celtics, with Haliburton in the lead role, of course.

On the level of the best Stephen Curry

Haliburton had a great season, so he’s forced to look for players at his level on the books. Talking about the base means steph curryprobably next door magic johnson This is an all-time high, and this comparison shows the level Halliburton has already reached.

In the 2014-15 season, the Warriors point guard won the first of his two MVP awards and was recognized as the player who changed the NBA forever.During that season, when the Bay team ultimately won the title, Curry averaged 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, All of this comes from shooting 48.7% from the field and 3.6 triples per game for a percentage of 44.3%. There’s no doubt those are great numbers, but they’re worse than Haliburton’s this season.

Pacers point guards score more points (26.9), give more assists (11.9), shoot more accurately (52.1%), and make more triples than the best shooters of all time ( 4 triples per game, 44.7%). The only thing Curry excelled at in this first-time MVP was rebounding, a little thing that made Haliburton even more of an MVP candidate.

Unique opportunity in Las Vegas

The number is staggering, but For Haliburton and his MVP aspirations, there’s nothing more deserving than a season tournament win. To do that, they must first lead the Pacers to victory again against the Milwaukee Bucks (tonight at 11 p.m. Spanish time) between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, and then against the winner of the Pelicans-Lakers game. Being the semifinals of a new tournament, he will naturally face two complex challenges, which the Indiana native must face with the utmost optimism. Numbers don’t lie. And their attack placed them, breaking all historical records. Among the best teams in the league.