Why Tyrese Haliburton's superstar ascension actually began three years ago

TO MOST NBA fans, casual oregon avid, Tyrese Haliburton's superstar leap has taken spot implicit the past fewer weeks.

There was the homage to Reggie Miller astatine Madison Square Garden successful Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The astir statistically cleanable 32-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound, five-steal, zero-turnover crippled successful Game 4 against the Knicks. And then, of course, the changeable helium deed with 0.3 seconds remaining successful Game 1 of the NBA Finals to bushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110, which silenced the loudest fanbase successful the league Thursday nighttime astatine the Paycom Center.

Afterward, Haliburton charmed successful his postgame interviews, arsenic lone a definite caliber of superstars can, joking with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt that "we were precocious to the party, too" erstwhile the big admitted helium didn't spot the imaginable of this Indiana Pacers squad aboriginal successful the play astatine Christmas erstwhile they were nether .500.

He adjacent brought his archetypal signature Puma footwear -- released earlier successful the time -- to the podium with him and joked astir however the kicks were the "secret sauce" to his penchant for hitting large shots astatine specified a precocious rate.

This play helium has deed an astounding 13-for-15 game-tying oregon game-winning shots successful the last 2 minutes of the 4th fourth oregon overtime -- the champion tract extremity percent successful a azygous play since play-by-play was archetypal tracked successful 1996-97, per ESPN Research.

But to those who cognize Haliburton best, this superstar leap has been years successful the making. And it started inauspiciously, connected a random Saturday successful precocious January successful Philadelphia.

HALIBURTON DIDN'T KNOW it astatine the time, but helium was successful his last weeks with the Sacramento Kings.

What helium did cognize was that determination was thing missing from his game. Or possibly a batch of things. Because helium was averaging lone 13.8 points a crippled that year, and those aren't the benignant of numbers a young subordinate successful enactment for a maximum declaration hold implicit the summertime puts up.

His cause Dave Spahn contacted renowned NBA skills trainer Drew Hanlen to spot if helium would conscionable with his lawsuit and see moving with him. Hanlen agreed to conscionable but instantly enactment conditions connected the nonrecreational relationship.

In his book, "Stop BSing Yourself," Hanlen wrote: "The biggest happening holding him backmost was his deficiency of scoring aggressiveness. So I presented a situation to him. I told him that if helium wanted to enactment with me, helium had to person 14 tract extremity attempts the adjacent nighttime against the Sixers."

Haliburton remembers that meal well.

"He told maine I person to judge successful myself earlier helium believes successful me," Haliburton told ESPN aft Game 1 connected Thursday night.

Unbeknownst to him, Hanlen had been studying his portion for respective weeks, due to the fact that helium besides worked intimately with Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, and the Sixers had engaged successful commercialized discussions with the Kings connected a commercialized that would've progressive Haliburton and Ben Simmons.

Hanlen loved Haliburton's passing quality but disquieted his deficiency of aggression successful scoring would bounds the interaction of his superb passing. Embiid encouraged Hanlen to support studying the film, due to the fact that Haliburton had definite aspects of his crippled the large antheral had ne'er seen before.

So successful that crippled connected Jan. 29, 2022, Haliburton did precisely what Hanlen challenged him to do. He attempted 19 shots, made 11 of them and finished with a then-career-high 38 points.

He was traded to the Pacers 10 days later.

He has been moving with Hanlen ever since, and the taxable has ne'er changed.

"The large punctuation that we ever accidental is, 'Sometimes being excessively unselfish is really being selfish,'" Hanlen told ESPN Thursday night, arsenic helium waited for Haliburton by the Pacers household country successful Oklahoma City. "When he's unselfish, it really negatively impacts his teammates' occurrence and negatively impacts his team's success.

"The much assertive helium is, the much his squad wins."

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Haliburton walks done his Game 1 victor with SVP

Tyrese Haliburton tells Scott Van Pelt what was going done his caput successful the last moments of the Pacers' thrilling Game 1 triumph vs. the Thunder.

CONFIDENCE HAS BEEN a fickle occurrence for Haliburton implicit the years -- hard to representation aft his boisterous interviews and celebrations connected the tribunal this season. But conscionable a fewer months ago, helium was arsenic debased arsenic Hanlen had ever seen him.

Being the lone subordinate connected the Olympic squad who didn't get immoderate playing clip shook him. So did a lingering hamstring injury, which kept him from grooming each summer. He came into the play without his accustomed burst, physically oregon emotionally. And it showed successful the Pacers' dilatory start.

That's what made his comments to Van Pelt aft Thursday night's triumph truthful ironic. "We were precocious to the party, too," reads a full batch otherwise knowing conscionable however overmuch Haliburton struggled to get his assurance and aggressiveness backmost earlier this year.

Even the signature shoes helium brought to the podium with him person a treble meaning. When Haliburton was astatine his lowest this year, helium disquieted helium didn't merit to person the grant of a signature shoe.

"He's ever utilized negativity and uncertainty to substance him," Hanlen said. "But past helium started buying into it and believing it. We had to get him past that."

ON WEDNESDAY, HALIBURTON texted Hanlen a station from @studio7Inbox -- an X relationship with 269 followers -- that broke down the Pacers wins per changeable attempts by Haliburton.

Break down of Pacers wins per changeable attempts by @TyHaliburton22 from the commencement of the szn thru the playoffs:
9 oregon fewer: 5-6
10 oregon more: 47-21
14 oregon more: 30-13
15 oregon more: 29-10
16 oregon more: 20-5
17 oregon more: 15-2
20 oregon more: 4-0@PUMAHoops #YesCers

Hanlen had nary thought however Haliburton recovered that post, but helium was gladsome that was what Haliburton was reasoning connected the eve of his archetypal Finals appearance.

"We came up with a slogan, which is the orangish thing," Hanlen said. "Which conscionable means look astatine the orangish thing. Look astatine the rim arsenic overmuch arsenic you perchance can.

"You wouldn't archer immoderate players to beryllium overly assertive due to the fact that you deliberation past they're going to commencement hunting for atrocious shots. But for Ty, we spot that if helium gets downhill and puts himself successful the close place, he'll marque the close decision."

The extremity effect of each this is that portion it appears Haliburton is having a superstar crook successful these playoffs, it's 1 that began 3 years agone -- and 1 that inactive needs tending.

After Haliburton changeable lone 7 times successful the Pacers' Game 5 nonaccomplishment to the Knicks, Hanlen flew to Indianapolis to assistance him hole for Game 6. They watched film, and erstwhile Haliburton went to bed, Hanlen gathered immoderate orangish happening helium could find successful the location and near them extracurricular his door.

He recovered a container of Goldfish, a elephantine container of Reese's Puffs cereal, a Number 3 sized basketball, a elephantine carrot, an orangish container of Guittard acheronian cocoa and Kind peanut food clusters.

Haliburton woke up and had to measurement implicit each the "orange things" conscionable to permission his room.

"That's each helium talks about," Haliburton joked. "24/7, each time each day. It ne'er stops with that guy."

Clearly the connection is getting through. Because arsenic Haliburton walked retired of Paycom Center Thursday night, helium asked however galore changeable attempts helium took successful Game 1.

Thirteen.

"Damn," helium said. "[Hanlen's] not going to beryllium happy. I cognize I was terrible. I made the changeable and everything, but there's a batch of country for improvement. I tin beryllium better."