INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is officially eligible for the league's award in 2024. The star ball-handler reached the number of games required to be named to either the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and All-Defensive teams, as well as the All-NBA teams. .
The NBA's new collective bargaining agreement rules set eligibility criteria for the award, one of which is that players must suit up for at least 65 games during the season. On Friday night, Haliburton reached that benchmark. This was the 65th game of the 2023-24 season. Haliburton had one game that didn't count because he didn't play 15 minutes, but it was because he appeared in the Blue and Gold's in-season tournament title game, All-Star. General Floor has 65 outings to his name.
Hs qualified for the league championship. “Yippee. I'm really happy. I'm happy,” Halliburton said Friday night. He waved his arms to show his excitement after taking the lead.
It's a significant accomplishment for the Indiana star. Due to the nature of Haliburton's contract, he is eligible to make tens of millions of dollars if he makes the All-NBA team this season. His contract extension will be for five years regardless of award status, but if Haliburton is named to one of three All-NBA teams, his contract will be worth $245.3 million. If he doesn't make it, his contract will pay him $204.5 million. That $40 million-plus difference is why this is such a significant accomplishment for the Pacers' young floor general, who two days ago set the franchise single-season assists record.
“But that's cool, because I think that would have been scary for us.” [this] Coach Haliburton talked about his hopes for himself and his team to reach 65 games. “I didn't know if I was going to be able to reach that standard. I think that's a credit to the strength staff, the medical staff for allowing me to do that.
“Yeah, I'm glad to be 65,” he added with a laugh.
Haliburton could reach a total of 70 games this season. He suffered a hamstring injury in January that put his All-NBA eligibility in jeopardy and caused him to miss multiple games. Upon returning from injury, Haliburton was limited to playing about 20 minutes a night. However, he was able to fight through the situation and play in the games he needed.
Indiana is 37-28 this season when Haliburton suits up and 7-6 when he sits. He has played a key role in the team's success, with the team's net rating being over 5.5 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the floor than when he is on the floor. He's a great talent and a big part of the Pacers' identity.
Haliburton is averaging 20.2 points and 11.0 assists per game this season. This is more than one full assist per game than the NBA, and he is one of 39 players to average at least 20 points per game. His offensive talent is clear, as his numbers were 23.6 and 12.5 respectively before his hamstring injury.
Haliburton still has a great chance to make an All-NBA team, as some of the league's other top talents fall short of 65 games. A strong performance in the final four games and possibly a postseason berth could help the guard's case in the final week of the season. His 66th game tonight against the Miami Heat is critical to the team's success and could go a long way toward achieving both goals.
But even without a campaign coming up, Haliburton has a chance to officially be named to one of the All-NBA teams and earn millions of dollars. he won it.
- Tyrese Haliburton set the Indiana Pacers' single-season franchise assist record on a night when the Pacers needed him. click here.
- After setting numerous Mad Ants franchise records, Pacers center Oscar Tshibwe won the 2024 G League Rookie of the Year award. click here.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has surpassed Red Auerbach to move into 12th place on the NBA's all-time coaching wins list. click here.
- The Indiana Pacers got back on track with an impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. click here.
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