Tyrese Haliburton Played Only 18 Minutes and Scored Six Points for Team USA During the Olympics Last Summer. Almost One Year Later, He Helped Lead Indiana to the NBA Finals 🔥📈

Just under a year ago, Tyrese Haliburton’s Olympic experience was a modest footnote on Team USA’s 2024 campaign. Playing behind bigger names and more seasoned stars, Haliburton logged only 18 minutes and scored just six points during the entire tournament. For most players, that kind of limited opportunity might go unnoticed. But for Haliburton, it was a launching pad—a moment that planted a seed. Fast-forward to June 2025, and the 24-year-old point guard is not just playing under the bright lights—he’s helping lead the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals.

It’s been a meteoric rise, and it’s no accident.

Haliburton entered the 2024-25 NBA season with something to prove. While his Olympic role was limited, the time spent practicing, studying, and competing alongside the league’s best had sharpened his vision. He returned to Indiana with a newfound intensity and leadership quality, one that head coach Rick Carlisle quickly recognized.

“Tyrese came back different,” Carlisle said in a midseason interview. “He saw what greatness looked like up close, and he came back ready to bring that to our locker room.”

From the season’s opening tip, Haliburton played like a man on a mission. His court vision, always a strength, looked even sharper. His passing turned Indiana’s offense into one of the most fluid and dangerous in the league. More importantly, he embraced the responsibilities that come with being the face of a franchise.

Haliburton averaged a career-high in points and assists this season, hovering around 22.3 points and 11.1 assists per game. But his impact extended beyond the box score. He set the tone with his unselfish play, his calm in clutch moments, and his fierce competitive drive. Despite missing some time due to injury midseason, his presence was always felt. When he returned, Indiana picked up momentum—and never looked back.

The Pacers’ playoff run has been nothing short of inspiring. As a team that wasn’t projected to go deep, they faced adversity in every round. But Haliburton’s play elevated the team. In the first round, he picked apart a tough Miami defense, using his high basketball IQ to manipulate switches and find open teammates. In the second round, he went head-to-head with Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks, outdueling one of the league’s grittiest competitors.

By the time Indiana faced Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals, Haliburton had firmly established himself as a superstar. Though the Celtics were favored, Haliburton helped lead a stunning series victory, blending creative passing, clutch shot-making, and floor leadership that mirrored the league’s best. In Game 6, with Indiana holding a slim lead in the final minutes, Haliburton took over—draining back-to-back threes and setting up two critical baskets. He finished with 28 points and 14 assists that night, earning him the series MVP and sending Indiana to its first NBA Finals since 2000.

It’s poetic that a player who barely touched the court in the Olympics last year is now orchestrating a Finals run for one of the league’s most unlikely contenders.

“I remember every second of that summer,” Haliburton said in a postgame interview. “I was honored to be on Team USA, but I wanted to be more than just a part of the experience. I wanted to be the guy people count on. That stuck with me.”

That fire has fueled his transformation. Over the past year, Haliburton has become one of the NBA’s most complete point guards. His game blends traditional floor general skills with the dynamic scoring and pace expected in today’s league. He’s equally dangerous in transition, in the pick-and-roll, and in half-court sets. And he makes his teammates better—an intangible trait that only the best possess.

For Indiana, Haliburton has become the centerpiece of a renaissance. Alongside rising stars like Bennedict Mathurin and veteran contributors such as Myles Turner, he has reshaped the culture. No longer an afterthought in the East, the Pacers are now a team to be taken seriously—largely because of the leadership and belief that Haliburton brings.

It’s easy to forget now that this journey started with 18 minutes of Olympic basketball. But in hindsight, that limited exposure might have been the perfect fuel. Haliburton saw what it meant to be elite, to represent a nation, and to sacrifice ego for the bigger picture. He brought all of that experience back with him—and then rewrote his own story.

From Olympic benchwarmer to Finals floor general in less than a year, Tyrese Haliburton’s journey is a testament to resilience, vision, and relentless growth. He didn’t need 40 minutes to make an impression—he just needed the right moment.

And now, with the NBA world watching, he’s seizing the biggest moment of all.