All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton practices for Team USA on September 3, 2023 during the FIBA Basketball World Cup. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Stephen Gosling, Team USA)
Takeaways for the Indiana Pacers from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
The Indiana Pacers had two players participate in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Tyrese Haliburton and Daniel Theis. Both players made it to the final day of the tournament.
Haliburton and Team USA finished in fourth place after falling to Canada in the Third-Place game on Sunday while Theis and Germany won a gold medal. The German squad dominated and went undefeated in the competition, and they took down the United States in the semifinals.
Both players were solid performers for their squad. In eight games each, Haliburton averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 assists per game while Theis averaged 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Each player was a significant contributor for their national team.
The Pacers will be happy that both of them performed well. It bodes well for their coming season. The franchise also has to be thrilled that neither player got hurt. Paul George injured his leg for Team USA in 2014 while he was a star for the Pacers, but nobody went down this time around.
There were some other small details that were important for the blue and gold that came from the World Cup. They are important takeaways for the franchise.
Daniel Theis is healthy and effective
Last summer, Theis played in EuroBasket with Germany. That was after playing in World Cup qualifying matches and the NBA Finals. The 2022 offseason was a busy one for Theis.
That led to some knee pain when the most recent NBA season began, and it required surgery. As a result, Theis didn't debut with Indiana until February 2, and he only played in seven games all season. His opportunities were limited, especially as the team switched to development mode.
In the World Cup, he proved that he is back to full health and still a solid player. He moved well, set great screens, knocked down shots, and was a force on the glass. Theis showed all the skills that he had before.
The big man has some fit concerns with Indiana. The team wants to play fast while Theis is better in a slower-paced environment. He isn't a plug-and-play guy for the team.
But in the World Cup, the German center proved that he is still healthy and can be effective, and he displayed that he might be the Pacers most talented backup five man. Given the Pacers want to make the postseason, perhaps Theis gets minutes this season, but the franchise could opt to stick with youngsters who can develop and play better in a high-pace situation. Still, Theis boosted his odds of playing time in the competition.
Tyrese Haliburton showed improved defense
Haliburton has always been a solid team defender. The 23-year old guard can read the game well, so his positioning and timing are strengths on defense. He had struggled to guard the ball in the NBA, though, and he is inconsistent on the less glamorous end of the floor.
Despite not closing strong, Haliburton displayed some defensive growth in the World Cup. He averaged 1.5 steals per game, and his on-ball defense showed strong flashes. It was a solid defensive performance for the young guard.
Indiana will hope that Haliburton's defensive growth translates to the more spread out NBA.
Both Pacers played multiple roles
Theis started for Germany, and he shared frontcourt duties with various other bigs. At times during the World Cup, he played the five. More often, though, he played the four.
Haliburton, meanwhile, came off the bench as the reserve point guard for Team USA. But he wiggled his way into several other groups, including closing games with the starters on more than one occasion. That meant the Pacers guard had some moments where he had the ball often and other games where it didn't find him as much.
Each player showed off versatility in the World Cup, both from a skill and position perspective. As Indiana looks to sort out its rotation for the coming season, that is an important fact for them to keep in mind.
The World Cup is over, but the Pacers will be back on the court for training camp in about three weeks.
- Germany wins FIBA Basketball World Cup, Indiana Pacers center Daniel Theis takes home a gold medal. CLICK HERE.
- Four Indiana Pacers make Bleacher Report list of Top 100 NBA players. CLICK HERE.
- Team USA guard Tyrese Haliburton is showing the World exactly what he showed the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
- How Obi Toppin can help the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
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