Halliburton led the team to the Eastern Conference Final for two consecutive years, an underrated young star

On May 16, some names are destined to be remembered by history in the brilliant galaxy of the NBA, and Tyrese Haliburton is quietly writing his own legend. The 25-year-old point guard has led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals for two consecutive years, tearing apart the "underrated" label with his strength and proving to the world that he is not only a benchmark for the new generation of point guards, but also a young superstar who has been neglected for a long time.

###From "Trading to the top" to the team's cornerstone

In February 2022, when the Kings sent Halliburton as a bargaining chip to the Pacers, it was generally believed that this was a "win-win". However, just two years later, the balance of this transaction has been completely tilted. In Indiana, Halliburton gained unprecedented tactical freedom, and his basketball IQ and leadership qualities quickly reshape the team's culture. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 20.1 points, 10.9 assists (first in the league) and 1.2 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of up to 47.7% and a three-point shooting percentage of 36.4%, becoming the fourth player in NBA history to have a single season "20+10 assists" and a shooting percentage of over 45%. This performance not only made him an All-Star starter, but also brought the Pacers directly from the lottery zone to fourth in the Eastern Conference.

###The "Cold-blooded Commander" on the Eastern Conference Finals stage

The tiebreak battle against the Knicks in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals can be called Halliburton's Battle of the Gods. Amid the booing sound of the tsunami in Madison Square Garden, he scored luxurious data of 26 points, 15 assists and 6 rebounds, and made two consecutive three-pointers at critical moments, completely extinguishing the New Yorkers' counterattack flames. In the Eastern Conference Finals this year, despite the team's final defeat 2-4, Halliburton's epic performance of 28 points and 19 assists in G3 made Tatum say bluntly after the game: "He reminded me of the young Nash." The calmness and creativity in this big scene are the standard for superstars.

###The underrated modern point guard template

Compared with fellow Doncic and Trae Young, Halliburton's starlight always seems to be a little dim. But the data won't lie: the Pacers have netted 7.3 points per 100 rounds when he was on the court in the past two seasons, and the team lost 4.1 points when he was resting - a difference that even exceeded Jokic's impact on the Nuggets. His game style is perfect for modern basketball:

- **No dead corner offensive threat**: Halliburton, 1.96 meters tall, has the rare misalignment ability of a guard, who can not only hit 30 feet away with a pick-and-roll, but also tease the center with a weird throwing rhythm.

- **Scalpel-like pass**: His assist-and-turnover ratio (4.1:1) in the league, the signature "no-look pass" and long cross-field pass have become the nuclear weapons of the Pacers' fast break.

- **Negated defense**: Although he is not good at defense, his average of 1.5 deflections and 0.6 frame protection interference proves that his team's defensive awareness is far beyond expectations.

### Pacers' revival engine

The "speed space" system built by management around Halliburton is bearing fruit: Miles Turner became one of the league's most accurate three-point centers, and rookie Bennedict Mathering won the sixth man with his feeding ball. What's even more terrifying is that the Pacers' offensive efficiency averaged 124.7 points this season set a record for NBA history, of which 67% of the sports goals came from assists - this is the ultimate reflection of Halliburton's ability to "simplify the complexity". Team President Kevin Pritchard admitted: "Two years ago we only wanted one commander, but now we have the key to changing the league's pattern."

###The Future: MVP knocking

When international players such as Jokic and Antetokounmpo dominate the MVP list, American basketball urgently needs a new facade. Halliburton combines the elegance of traditional point guards and the violent aesthetic of the data era. This uniqueness makes him the league's support. Famous analyst Zach Lowe pointed out: "If the Pacers enter the top three in the Eastern Conference next season, Halliburton's MVP odds will enter the top five." And his own response to this is full of humility: "I just want to prove that basketball that is team-first can still win."

In this league that pursues personal heroism, Halliburton interprets the essence of basketball in the purest way. Perhaps as LeBron James sighed in the commentary seat: "Some people are always discussing who is the best young player, but they forget to put Halliburton into the conversation - this is the biggest mistake in itself." When the young man with a ditch hairstyle stepped on the floor of the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time, the world will finally realize that a real super giant has long risen.