Charles Esther
To most NBA fans, whether casual or avid, Tyrese Haliburton’s rise to superstardom has been unmistakable over the past few weeks.
The journey included a memorable homage to Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
There was the nearly flawless performance in Game 4 against the New York Knicks, where Haliburton scored 32 points, dished out 15 assists, grabbed 12 rebounds, made five steals, and committed zero turnovers.
Then came the defining moment: a clutch shot with just 0.3 seconds left in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 111-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That shot silenced the loudest fanbase in the league at the Paycom Center and firmly established Haliburton’s status as a superstar.
After the game, Haliburton charmed the media with his postgame interviews, showing the charisma expected from a player of his growing stature.
He joked with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt about how the Pacers were “late to the party” this season, referencing their under .500 record at Christmas and the low expectations many had for the team.
Adding to the moment’s lightheartedness, Haliburton brought his first signature Puma shoe to the podium, calling the kicks the “secret sauce” behind his success in hitting big shots.
This season, Haliburton has hit an incredible 13-for-15 in game-tying or game-winning shots in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.
That shooting accuracy is the best single-season mark since the NBA started tracking play-by-play data in 1996-97, according to ESPN Research.
However, those who have followed Haliburton closely know this superstar leap has been years in the making.
It began somewhat quietly on a random Saturday in late January 2022 in Philadelphia.
At the time, Haliburton was unaware that he was nearing the end of his tenure with the Sacramento Kings.
What he did realize was that something was missing from his game—maybe a lot of things.
He was averaging just 13.8 points per game, numbers that didn’t align with the expectations for a young player on the cusp of a maximum contract extension.
In search of improvement, his agent, Dave Spahn, reached out to renowned NBA skills trainer Drew Hanlen to see if he would consider working with Haliburton.
Hanlen agreed to meet but immediately set conditions for their professional relationship.
In his book, Stop BSing Yourself, Hanlen wrote that Haliburton’s biggest limitation was his lack of scoring aggressiveness.
Hanlen challenged Haliburton to attempt at least 14 field goals in the next game against the Sixers.
Haliburton recalls that dinner well.
Hanlen told him, “I have to believe in you before I believe in me,” emphasizing the importance of self-confidence.
Unbeknownst to Haliburton, Hanlen had been studying his game for weeks, partly because he also worked with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.
The Sixers were considering a trade involving Haliburton and Ben Simmons, and Hanlen was closely analyzing his tape.
Hanlen admired Haliburton’s passing skills but was concerned that his lack of scoring aggressiveness would limit his overall impact.
Embiid encouraged Hanlen to keep watching, impressed by unique aspects of Haliburton’s game he hadn’t seen before.
On January 29, 2022, Haliburton met the challenge by attempting 19 shots, making 11, and scoring a career-high 38 points.
Just 10 days later, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers.
Since then, he has worked continuously with Hanlen, who stresses one key theme: sometimes being too unselfish can actually be selfish.
Hanlen explained that when Haliburton is overly unselfish, it hurts both his teammates and the team’s success.
The more aggressive Haliburton becomes, the more the Pacers win.
Confidence has been a fragile flame for Haliburton over the years.
It’s hard to imagine now given his energetic celebrations and bold interviews this season.
But just months ago, he was at his lowest, both physically and emotionally.
Being the only player on the Olympic team who didn’t get any playing time was a blow.
A lingering hamstring injury kept him from training all summer.
He started the season lacking his usual burst, and the Pacers struggled early on.
This context makes his comment to Scott Van Pelt about the Pacers being “late to the party” even more ironic.
Haliburton’s confidence and aggressiveness had to be rebuilt from near rock bottom.
Even the signature shoes he brought to the postgame had a double meaning.
At his lowest point, he worried he didn’t deserve the honour of a signature shoe.
Hanlen noted that Haliburton uses negativity and doubt as fuel, but earlier this year, he started to believe in the doubts too much.
Getting past that was a major part of their work.
On the eve of the NBA Finals, Haliburton texted Hanlen a breakdown of Pacers wins per his shot attempts from a small X account called @studio7Inbox.
The data showed a clear trend: the more shots Haliburton took, the more the Pacers won.
For example, when Haliburton took 9 or fewer shots, the Pacers were 5-6.
When he took 20 or more shots, the Pacers were undefeated at 4-0.
Hanlen didn’t know how Haliburton found that post, but was glad it reflected the mindset they had been cultivating.
They coined a slogan, “the orange thing,” meaning Haliburton should always focus on the rim.
Hanlen trusts that when Haliburton drives downhill and puts himself in good positions, he’ll make the right decisions.
While it looks like Haliburton is having a sudden superstar breakout, it’s actually a journey that began three years ago and requires constant care.
After shooting just seven times in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Hanlen flew to Indianapolis to help prepare Haliburton for Game 6.
They studied film, and Hanlen left various orange objects outside Haliburton’s door as a reminder of their focus.
Objects included a bag of Goldfish, a box of Reese’s Puffs cereal, a size 3 basketball, a giant carrot, and orange bags of chocolate and peanut butter clusters.
Haliburton had to step over these “orange things” every morning when leaving his room.
He joked about Hanlen’s relentless focus on this message.
Clearly, the message is working.
After Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Haliburton asked how many shots he took.
Thirteen.
He immediately admitted he could do better.
Despite making the game-winning shot, he told Hanlen, “I was terrible.”
Haliburton’s journey from uncertainty to superstardom shows that talent combined with self-belief and hard work can lead to greatness.
His rise is a reminder that sometimes, embracing aggression and confidence is the key to unlocking true potential.
The NBA Finals are just the beginning of what promises to be an extraordinary career for Tyrese Haliburton.
