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INDIANAPOLIS – The stakes in the All-NBA voting aren't nearly as high for Tyrese Haliburton as they were a year ago.
Last season, the Pacers' All-Star point guard had more than $40 million riding on the outcome of the balloting. The Pacers had signed him to a max extension on his rookie scale contract, but according to collective bargaining agreement rules, making an All-NBA team would mean he could be paid 30% of the salary cap rather than 25%.
Haliburton made third-team All-NBA last year, so that 30% is locked in but he'd still like to be on one. Though he failed to make the All-Star team for the first time in three seasons, his lights-out play since the All-Star break has increased discussion that he might make All-NBA again.
More news: Tyrese Haliburton grimaces and bleeds; what Pacers guard said about his first-half tumble
Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver's Nikola Jokic are having historic seasons and locked in an epic battle for MVP so those two are sure things for All-NBA first-team honors. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston's Jayson Tatum seem certain to finish third and fourth in the balloting. The fifth first-team spot appears to be a toss-up, but Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, the Lakers' LeBron James, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards and Detroit's Cade Cunningham could all have a case.
Whoever doesn't make the first team will be on the second team. Cavs big man Evan Mobley's leap has been critical to Cleveland's ascent to the top record in the Eastern Conference, so there's almost certainly an All-NBA spot for him. It's hard to imagine Golden State's Stephen Curry, the two-time MVP, 10-time All-NBA pick and the league's all-time leading 3-point shooter being left out even though his numbers have gone down a tick since last year.
Phoenix's Kevin Durant and the Knicks' Jalen Brunson also seem to be sure All-NBA bets if they cross the 65-game threshold, though that is not guaranteed. Each has been hampered by an ankle injury down the stretch and are at 62 games with the season entering its final week. Brunson returned to action Sunday night after missing the previous 15 games. Durant has missed the last three games. Each have four games remaining on their team's schedule to make three appearances.
What that means is there are between 10 and 12 All-NBA locks, which means there are between three and five spots up for debate. There are also a number of superstars who are eliminated from discussion because they are assured of failing to reach the 65-game threshold due to injury-related absences throughout the season. Among those are the Lakers' Luka Doncic, the Mavericks' Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, Milwaukee's Damian Lillard, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, Orlando's Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Memphis' Ja Morant, New Orleans' Zion Williamson and the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard.
So with all that in mind, here's Haliburton's case for All-NBA inclusion and how it stacks up with the other players he'll be up against.
Stats: 18.5 points per game, 9.3 assists per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 1.5 steals per game. FG%: .473. 3FG%: .388. FT%: .855
Outlook: Haliburton's All-NBA case looks a lot better if you imagine the first month of the season didn't happen. Haliburton wouldn't be qualified for inclusion if he had sat out the season's first 15 games, but his performance in those games has dragged down his numbers.
In the season's first 15 games, Haliburton was held under double figure scoring four times and averaged 15.3 points per game on 37.5% shooting including 28.4% from beyond the 3-point arc to go with 8.5 assists against 1.7 turnovers. His plus-minus figure averaged -4.1 per game and the Pacers were a total of -62 in his time on the floor in that stretch, posting a 6-9 record.
Since those first 15 games, he's averaging 19.4 points per game on 49.9% shooting including 41.6% 3-point shooting, which would be right at his career best over a full year. He's also averaging 9.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game against 1.6 turnovers per game with a +4.8 per game plus-minus figure.
Since the All-Star break he's clearly been one of the game's best players, averaging 20.4 points per game on 53.8% shooting including 44.5% from beyond the arc and 11.3 assists against 1.2 turnovers per game to go with 1.9 steals and a +8.6 per game plus-minus figure. He's posted double-figure assists in 17 of his 19 games in that stretch.
So voters have to weigh the fact that Haliburton is a dramatically different player now than he was in November and determine how much his early season struggles should hold back a candidacy. Still, he has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA at 5.62 and has the Pacers a step ahead of where they were going into the playoffs last year. He's the offensive engine for a team likely to grab the No. 4 seed in the East, which gives him a competitive argument to be All-NBA.
Stats: 22.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.6 bpg, FG%: .491 3FG%: .377. FT%: .776
Outlook: Jackson is in the midst of one of the best and most efficient offensive seasons in his career and he remains one of the most powerful defensive forces in the NBA. The former Park Tudor star ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in blocks, in the top 35 in steals and is one of the league's best at both protecting the rim and keeping opponents in front of him.
Even as the Grizzlies have stumbled, falling to eighth place in the Western Conference and making a coaching change with the stunning firing of Taylor Jenkins, Jackson's helped keep them afloat with the best plus-minus figure on the team at +4.9 per game.
Stats: 24.3 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.7 bpg. FG%: .523. 3FG%: .422. FT%: .829.
Outlook: Towns was named an All-Star starter in February and has continued to be a powerful offensive force. They won nine of the 15 games Brunson missed and Towns averaged 24.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in that stretch. That allowed them to hold the third spot in the East behind Cleveland and Boston.
Towns ranks second behind only the Kings' Domantas Sabonis in rebounds per game and he joins Jokic and Antetokounmpo as the only players in the NBA averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Of the 11 qualified players averaging double-figure rebounds, he's the best 3-point shooter at 42.2% with Jokic being the only other such player shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc.
Stats: 24.0 ppg, 11.6 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 spg. FG%: .409. 3FG%: .337. FT%: .877
Outlook: This will be the sixth straight season that Young has averaged at least 24.0 points and 9.0 assists per game and the third straight year he's averaged at least 10.0 assists per game. He's one of just two players averaging double-figure assists this season with Jokic the other and his 847 total assists give him 162 more than second-place Jokic's 685.
But Young is perpetually snubbed for both All-Star and All-NBA honors. He was named to his third All-Star Game this season but had to be added as an injury replacement. He's only been All-NBA once when he made third team in the 2021-22 season. A big part of the reason why he is very ball-dominant with the Hawks and his efficiency numbers aren't great. He has the lowest field goal percentage of any player with a qualifying number of games averaging 23.0 points per game or more. His 3-point percentage is among the worst of any player averaging at least 2.5 makes per game. He's averaging 4.7 turnovers per game along with those 11.6 assists, which is almost triple Haliburton's 1.6 turnovers per game.
Still, all of those numbers are so high because the Hawks ride Young so much and he still has them in eighth in the East despite giving away several important pieces at the trade deadline and also losing Jalen Johnson for the season to injury. He's the only available player on the roster averaging more than 15.0 points per game, so few players in the league are more important to their team.
Stats: 21.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.7 bpg. FG%: .481. 3FG%: .367. FT%: .786
Outlook: Though Gilgeous-Alexander may be the frontrunner for MVP, Williams is arguably just as big of a reason why the Thunder have run roughshod through the Western Conference, posting a 64-14 record.
Williams is not only the Thunder's second-leading scorer, he's arguably their most versatile player, ranking fourth on the team in rebounding, second in assists, third in total steals, fourth in total blocks, fifth in total 3-pointers and second in total free throws. His efficiency numbers have come down somewhat because the Thunder have asked him to do a lot more as the second option behind Gilgeous-Alexander but the 23-year-old has obliged with his most productive season as a pro so far.
The 6-6, 220-pounder is also a key switchable piece to a Thunder defense that leads the NBA in defensive rating by a substantial margin as he can play every position 2-4 and defend every position 1-5. He'll probably get the benefit of the doubt for being the second-best player on the NBA's best team but he might not even need much benefit of the doubt.
Stats: 19.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 4.9 apg. 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg. FG%: .496. 3FG%: .233. FT%: .692
Outlook: The 22-year-old Sengun is quickly maturing into one of the NBA's most skilled big men. His passing ability, feel for the game and touch around the basket give off the vibes of a poor man's Jokic.
He's not nearly as dominant as Jokic at this point of course, but he's been consistently excellent for three seasons and is averaging a double-double for the first time in his career. Also, he'll certainly benefit from being on a very good team without an obvious central figure.
The Rockets sit in second in the West because of fierce, swarming defense with lots of physical defenders. They're fourth in the NBA in defensive rating, fifth in scoring defense and fifth in defensive field goal percentage. However, Sengun is one of just two players on the roster averaging more than 15.0 points per game with the other being guard Jalen Green who is a high-volume shooter and not a great two-way player. Sengun is probably the best bet to be rewarded for the Rockets' success.
Stats: 22.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.2 spg. FG%: .465. 3FG%: .326. FT%: .763.
Outlook: Brown missed out on All-NBA honors last year and his numbers have taken a dip in several key areas this season. He's in the midst of his worst 3-point shooting season in terms of percentage and his effective field goal percentage of .517 is his worst since his rookie year.
That being said, his value to the defending champion Celtics is impossible to ignore. He was the Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals MVP last season because of his two-way contributions and clutch shooting. Obviously, All-NBA voting isn't based on last year's results, but the Celtics are second in the East and hold the third-best record in the NBA. They are +6.5 per game when he's on the floor and he's still their second-leading scorer behind Tatum. He only has 62 games so far so there's a chance he won't cross the threshold either, but he warrants consideration if he does.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: All-NBA contenders include Tyrese Haliburton. Who else is in running?
Continue reading...
Last season, the Pacers' All-Star point guard had more than $40 million riding on the outcome of the balloting. The Pacers had signed him to a max extension on his rookie scale contract, but according to collective bargaining agreement rules, making an All-NBA team would mean he could be paid 30% of the salary cap rather than 25%.
Haliburton made third-team All-NBA last year, so that 30% is locked in but he'd still like to be on one. Though he failed to make the All-Star team for the first time in three seasons, his lights-out play since the All-Star break has increased discussion that he might make All-NBA again.
More news: Tyrese Haliburton grimaces and bleeds; what Pacers guard said about his first-half tumble
Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver's Nikola Jokic are having historic seasons and locked in an epic battle for MVP so those two are sure things for All-NBA first-team honors. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston's Jayson Tatum seem certain to finish third and fourth in the balloting. The fifth first-team spot appears to be a toss-up, but Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, the Lakers' LeBron James, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards and Detroit's Cade Cunningham could all have a case.
Whoever doesn't make the first team will be on the second team. Cavs big man Evan Mobley's leap has been critical to Cleveland's ascent to the top record in the Eastern Conference, so there's almost certainly an All-NBA spot for him. It's hard to imagine Golden State's Stephen Curry, the two-time MVP, 10-time All-NBA pick and the league's all-time leading 3-point shooter being left out even though his numbers have gone down a tick since last year.
Phoenix's Kevin Durant and the Knicks' Jalen Brunson also seem to be sure All-NBA bets if they cross the 65-game threshold, though that is not guaranteed. Each has been hampered by an ankle injury down the stretch and are at 62 games with the season entering its final week. Brunson returned to action Sunday night after missing the previous 15 games. Durant has missed the last three games. Each have four games remaining on their team's schedule to make three appearances.
What that means is there are between 10 and 12 All-NBA locks, which means there are between three and five spots up for debate. There are also a number of superstars who are eliminated from discussion because they are assured of failing to reach the 65-game threshold due to injury-related absences throughout the season. Among those are the Lakers' Luka Doncic, the Mavericks' Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, Milwaukee's Damian Lillard, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, Orlando's Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Memphis' Ja Morant, New Orleans' Zion Williamson and the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard.
So with all that in mind, here's Haliburton's case for All-NBA inclusion and how it stacks up with the other players he'll be up against.
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Tyrese Haliburton, point guard, Indiana Pacers
Stats: 18.5 points per game, 9.3 assists per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 1.5 steals per game. FG%: .473. 3FG%: .388. FT%: .855
Outlook: Haliburton's All-NBA case looks a lot better if you imagine the first month of the season didn't happen. Haliburton wouldn't be qualified for inclusion if he had sat out the season's first 15 games, but his performance in those games has dragged down his numbers.
In the season's first 15 games, Haliburton was held under double figure scoring four times and averaged 15.3 points per game on 37.5% shooting including 28.4% from beyond the 3-point arc to go with 8.5 assists against 1.7 turnovers. His plus-minus figure averaged -4.1 per game and the Pacers were a total of -62 in his time on the floor in that stretch, posting a 6-9 record.
Since those first 15 games, he's averaging 19.4 points per game on 49.9% shooting including 41.6% 3-point shooting, which would be right at his career best over a full year. He's also averaging 9.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game against 1.6 turnovers per game with a +4.8 per game plus-minus figure.
Since the All-Star break he's clearly been one of the game's best players, averaging 20.4 points per game on 53.8% shooting including 44.5% from beyond the arc and 11.3 assists against 1.2 turnovers per game to go with 1.9 steals and a +8.6 per game plus-minus figure. He's posted double-figure assists in 17 of his 19 games in that stretch.
So voters have to weigh the fact that Haliburton is a dramatically different player now than he was in November and determine how much his early season struggles should hold back a candidacy. Still, he has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA at 5.62 and has the Pacers a step ahead of where they were going into the playoffs last year. He's the offensive engine for a team likely to grab the No. 4 seed in the East, which gives him a competitive argument to be All-NBA.
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Jaren Jackson Jr., forward/center, Memphis Grizzlies
Stats: 22.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.6 bpg, FG%: .491 3FG%: .377. FT%: .776
Outlook: Jackson is in the midst of one of the best and most efficient offensive seasons in his career and he remains one of the most powerful defensive forces in the NBA. The former Park Tudor star ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in blocks, in the top 35 in steals and is one of the league's best at both protecting the rim and keeping opponents in front of him.
Even as the Grizzlies have stumbled, falling to eighth place in the Western Conference and making a coaching change with the stunning firing of Taylor Jenkins, Jackson's helped keep them afloat with the best plus-minus figure on the team at +4.9 per game.
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Karl-Anthony Towns, center, New York Knicks
Stats: 24.3 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.7 bpg. FG%: .523. 3FG%: .422. FT%: .829.
Outlook: Towns was named an All-Star starter in February and has continued to be a powerful offensive force. They won nine of the 15 games Brunson missed and Towns averaged 24.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in that stretch. That allowed them to hold the third spot in the East behind Cleveland and Boston.
Towns ranks second behind only the Kings' Domantas Sabonis in rebounds per game and he joins Jokic and Antetokounmpo as the only players in the NBA averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Of the 11 qualified players averaging double-figure rebounds, he's the best 3-point shooter at 42.2% with Jokic being the only other such player shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc.
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Trae Young, point guard, Atlanta Hawks
Stats: 24.0 ppg, 11.6 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 spg. FG%: .409. 3FG%: .337. FT%: .877
Outlook: This will be the sixth straight season that Young has averaged at least 24.0 points and 9.0 assists per game and the third straight year he's averaged at least 10.0 assists per game. He's one of just two players averaging double-figure assists this season with Jokic the other and his 847 total assists give him 162 more than second-place Jokic's 685.
But Young is perpetually snubbed for both All-Star and All-NBA honors. He was named to his third All-Star Game this season but had to be added as an injury replacement. He's only been All-NBA once when he made third team in the 2021-22 season. A big part of the reason why he is very ball-dominant with the Hawks and his efficiency numbers aren't great. He has the lowest field goal percentage of any player with a qualifying number of games averaging 23.0 points per game or more. His 3-point percentage is among the worst of any player averaging at least 2.5 makes per game. He's averaging 4.7 turnovers per game along with those 11.6 assists, which is almost triple Haliburton's 1.6 turnovers per game.
Still, all of those numbers are so high because the Hawks ride Young so much and he still has them in eighth in the East despite giving away several important pieces at the trade deadline and also losing Jalen Johnson for the season to injury. He's the only available player on the roster averaging more than 15.0 points per game, so few players in the league are more important to their team.
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Jalen Williams, forward, Oklahoma City Thunder
Stats: 21.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.7 bpg. FG%: .481. 3FG%: .367. FT%: .786
Outlook: Though Gilgeous-Alexander may be the frontrunner for MVP, Williams is arguably just as big of a reason why the Thunder have run roughshod through the Western Conference, posting a 64-14 record.
Williams is not only the Thunder's second-leading scorer, he's arguably their most versatile player, ranking fourth on the team in rebounding, second in assists, third in total steals, fourth in total blocks, fifth in total 3-pointers and second in total free throws. His efficiency numbers have come down somewhat because the Thunder have asked him to do a lot more as the second option behind Gilgeous-Alexander but the 23-year-old has obliged with his most productive season as a pro so far.
The 6-6, 220-pounder is also a key switchable piece to a Thunder defense that leads the NBA in defensive rating by a substantial margin as he can play every position 2-4 and defend every position 1-5. He'll probably get the benefit of the doubt for being the second-best player on the NBA's best team but he might not even need much benefit of the doubt.
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Alperen Sengun, center, Houston Rockets
Stats: 19.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 4.9 apg. 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg. FG%: .496. 3FG%: .233. FT%: .692
Outlook: The 22-year-old Sengun is quickly maturing into one of the NBA's most skilled big men. His passing ability, feel for the game and touch around the basket give off the vibes of a poor man's Jokic.
He's not nearly as dominant as Jokic at this point of course, but he's been consistently excellent for three seasons and is averaging a double-double for the first time in his career. Also, he'll certainly benefit from being on a very good team without an obvious central figure.
The Rockets sit in second in the West because of fierce, swarming defense with lots of physical defenders. They're fourth in the NBA in defensive rating, fifth in scoring defense and fifth in defensive field goal percentage. However, Sengun is one of just two players on the roster averaging more than 15.0 points per game with the other being guard Jalen Green who is a high-volume shooter and not a great two-way player. Sengun is probably the best bet to be rewarded for the Rockets' success.
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Jaylen Brown, forward, Boston Celtics
Stats: 22.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.2 spg. FG%: .465. 3FG%: .326. FT%: .763.
Outlook: Brown missed out on All-NBA honors last year and his numbers have taken a dip in several key areas this season. He's in the midst of his worst 3-point shooting season in terms of percentage and his effective field goal percentage of .517 is his worst since his rookie year.
That being said, his value to the defending champion Celtics is impossible to ignore. He was the Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals MVP last season because of his two-way contributions and clutch shooting. Obviously, All-NBA voting isn't based on last year's results, but the Celtics are second in the East and hold the third-best record in the NBA. They are +6.5 per game when he's on the floor and he's still their second-leading scorer behind Tatum. He only has 62 games so far so there's a chance he won't cross the threshold either, but he warrants consideration if he does.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: All-NBA contenders include Tyrese Haliburton. Who else is in running?
Continue reading...
