Is Tyrese Haliburton the most overrated or most hated?

Martha Kent from Batman vs Superman was right.

"People hate what they don't understand." For the NBA playoffs, there seems to be a powerful movement going on, and all eyes seem to be on the "Haliban man" Tyrese Haliburton.

In the final seconds of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, people were at the edge of their seats. With 10 seconds left in the game, the score was 110-109, with the Thunder up. Haliburton pulled off another masterpiece moment that gave the Pacers a 1-0 series lead.

That's all she wrote! This would be considered Halliburton's fourth game-winner for this postseason alone, the most by any player in a run over the last 50 years. Unbelievable. For this playoffs, he is averaging 18.9 ppg, 9.5 apg, 5.9 rpg, and 2.0 topg. If someone looked at his numbers, you could see his effect. 

Now, Haliburton this season got back into the trending news as being the most overrated player in the NBA. When you look at his game with your eyes it's sort of easy to see why that could be the consensus. 

His game doesn't; scream sexy, flashy, or entertaining. Halliburton has an awkward-looking jump shot, he is not a high-volume scorer which most of the players at his position are, and aside from his non-threatening innocent look, there is an underlying trash-talking demeanor there on the court.

However, it's not by accident that the same list he was voted the "most overrated" player was anonymous. It is easy for someone to have a loud voice without having to put their name on it, especially from peers who have to deal with them on the court. 

The subjects seem to be focused more on the statement, and less on the response. Listening to Haliburton's response to a poll by his peers two things were highlighted about him his confidence and awareness. During this playoff run, there is a certain level of freedom and imagination he plays with that seems to give him an edge over his opponents. 

Shai GIlgeous Alexander, Luka Doncic, Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, De'aaron Fox, Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, Ja Morant, James Harden, and Damian Lillard, There is a common denominator with top point guards in the NBA on what they should be, which is valuing scoring over play making/passing. Where the offense is centered more for the point guard to score, and place their teammates secondary to score. 

Each one of these players named above is the leading scorer of their team, but the point guard who got the most overrated award. There is a sour taste going around in players' mouths around the league regarding Haliburton, but that is understandable he disturbed the trend and he is letting all of his peers know it on the court.

One of the things Haliburton said, when being asked about the "most overrated" list was  "I must be doing something right." A statement made from somebody who has an unshakable faith. The one thing though that shuts everything down is simply winning and that is what the Pacers are doing going to two conference finals in a row, and now up 1-0 in the NBA Finals. 

This is bigger than a few game-winning shots, some heavy trash-talking, or some light-hearted celebrations. This is about a shift in power if the Pacers pull this off. Haliburton is representing the traditional point guards camp that values focusing on the team's offense rather than him simply getting "buckets." No different from what the big men were valued as interior scoring threats now every top center is stepping out and shooting three-pointers.

When you look at point guards from the past like John Stockton, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, and of course Earvin "Magic" Johnson they all valued the same things that Haliburton does now. Mainly, winning at a high level over individual scoring highlights and flash.

However, that disturbs the trend of today's point guards, which Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle seems to understand. After game 4 between the Pacers and the New York Knicks, Carlisle had high praise on Haliburton's performance.

It is pretty remarkable.

This is the same guy who got "little to no" playing time on the 2024 Olympic team. Through that experience, it seemed like his value was undervalued. However, his response was a mature one choosing to be supportive of his teammates and wait for his opportunity to shine. His teammate Pascal Siakam won the Eastern conference finals MVP, Haliburton could be seen smiling as Siakam was winning the trophy. These are all examples, of someone who puts team success over individual accomplishments.

The funny part is that Haliburton is primarily known for his unbelievable assists-turnover ratio. He has made four game-winning shots in this playoff run alone. That eliminates the idea he can't score and is more about that he chooses to sacrifice for the betterment of the team. 

Carlisle also had a more vulgar response to the "overrated list" simply saying it was "bull****", and that he wanted to see the guys face who voted. While it is a coach's job to protect their star player that statement seems to be more of a reality as the playoffs have gone on.

Think about it. As a basketball player, why wouldn't you want to play with a point guard who enjoys passing the ball? What coach wouldn't want a point guard who knows how to take care of the ball? So Carlisle is right, who are the faces of these guys voting on this poll? Perhaps, this is more about envy than accurate voting, or hating on something you cannot do or understand. Well, guess what? He is only 25 years old and is just scratching the surface so there is a good chance there will be many more "anonymous polls" soon.