Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton named a 2023 NBA All-Star
The Indiana Pacers officially have an All-Star in 2023. On Thursday, it was announced on TNT that Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is a reserve among the Eastern Conference All-Star group.
The Pacers offensive leader is a deserving candidate. He is averaging 20.2 points and 10.2 assists per game, meaning he is one of two players (the other being James Harden) averaging a points-assist double double in the conference.
"I would think it's a very meaningful honor if it's to happen," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the All-Star honor for Haliburton earlier today. It wasn't yet official that the guard would be an All-Star at that time.
Haliburton will now go to Salt Lake City for All-Star weekend. The All-Star game is February 19. He said he wasn't nervous about the announcement earlier on Thursday — rather, he was just focused on his upcoming return against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Haliburton is the first Pacers All-Star since the 2020-21 season, when center Domantas Sabonis was named to the All-Star game. Ironically, Sabonis was traded to the Sacramento Kings in the deal that netted Indiana the talented guard.
This is Haliburton's first All-Star nomination. He is only 22 years old, so there are likely many more to come for the young guard throughout his career.
"When you talk about people belonging on an All-Star team, there's a lot of great players in this league. But, and this isn't a good thing, he gets hurt and we lose 10 out of 11 [games]. I think that proves how valuable he is to this team. And his numbers speak for themselves," Pacers guard TJ McConnell said of Haliburton Thursday. "He's a walking double double. Our team is so much better if he's out there."
The Pacers are 24-28, but they are 22-18 when Haliburton plays. He is essential to his team, and he can prove his value when he returns on Thursday. Now, he has his first major NBA accolade — he's an NBA All-Star.
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