Now, He’s Helped Lead the Pacers to the NBA Finals, with a Shot at the Franchise’s First Championship Since 1973 😳
In a league where narratives often matter as much as numbers, perception can be a powerful—and dangerous—force. On April 22, 2025, The Athletic published its annual anonymous player poll, offering an unfiltered peek into how NBA players view one another. Most questions generated healthy debate and expected results. But one answer sparked immediate controversy: Tyrese Haliburton was voted the NBA’s most overrated player.
The reaction was swift. Fans called it disrespectful. Analysts called it confusing. And Haliburton? He didn’t say much. He let his game speak.
Just six weeks later, Haliburton has not only proved the doubters wrong—he’s authored one of the most impressive postseason runs in recent memory, leading the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals for the first time in 24 years. With the franchise’s first championship since its ABA days in 1973 now within reach, Haliburton has flipped the script in the most spectacular fashion imaginable.
The Poll Heard ’Round the League
To be fair, Haliburton’s name wasn’t the only eyebrow-raising result from the anonymous poll. These surveys tend to reflect a mix of real opinions, personal grudges, and locker room hearsay. But for Haliburton—an All-Star, All-NBA candidate, and the undisputed leader of one of the league’s fastest-rising teams—it felt like a jab out of nowhere.
Was it because of his flamboyant passes? His bubbly personality? His confident media appearances? Whatever the reason, the “overrated” tag felt detached from his on-court production.
At the time of the poll, Haliburton was averaging 20 points and a league-leading 10.8 assists per game, orchestrating one of the NBA’s most dynamic offenses. He’d turned Indiana from a rebuilding team into a legitimate playoff threat—and he was doing it with unselfishness, joy, and flair.
But for critics, his flair was the problem. They claimed he wasn’t a “winning player,” that he hadn’t done it on the biggest stage. That his style was flash without substance.
Now? Those same critics are silent.
A Postseason to Remember
After finishing the regular season as a mid-seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers were seen as a fun story—not a real contender. But Haliburton and his teammates had other ideas.
Round by round, Indiana dismantled expectations. They outdueled more experienced teams with better playoff pedigrees. Haliburton’s poise under pressure became a defining theme. He averaged double-digit assists while hitting timely buckets and making everyone around him better.
From fast-break dimes to clutch floaters, Haliburton’s fingerprints were all over Indiana’s surprising run. He showcased the rarest kind of point guard leadership—the kind that lifts role players into contributors and turns a team into a unit.
More importantly, he showed toughness. After a mid-season hamstring injury had slowed his pace, critics said he wouldn’t hold up under the playoff grind. Instead, he ramped up. He played through pain. He guarded bigger players. He answered every “overrated” whisper with performance.
The Transformation of the Pacers
Haliburton’s brilliance has been the engine behind the Pacers’ rise, but the whole roster has clicked around him. Bennedict Mathurin’s scoring punch, Myles Turner’s rim protection, and Andrew Nembhard’s gritty defense have turned Indiana into more than just a feel-good story. They’re dangerous.
But none of it works without Haliburton. His command of tempo, his basketball IQ, and his floor vision make everything go. He doesn’t dominate the ball—he orchestrates the offense, with the maturity of a veteran and the creativity of an artist.
Rick Carlisle, a championship-winning coach himself, has praised Haliburton endlessly during this run:
“He’s the kind of guy who changes a franchise—not just with his game, but with who he is as a person. We don’t get here without him.”
A Shot at History
The Pacers’ only championship came in 1973—before the NBA-ABA merger. Since joining the NBA, Indiana has come close, most notably during the Reggie Miller era in 2000, but never sealed the deal.
Now, they’re back. And they’re doing it in a way no one expected: behind a pass-first point guard who was called overrated by his own peers, and a roster that was supposed to be a year or two away.
Haliburton isn’t chasing MVPs or headlines. He’s chasing wins. And in doing so, he’s changing the way people talk about him—and the Pacers.
He’s proven that highlight-reel passes don’t mean a lack of substance. That you can play with joy and still compete with fire. That you can be yourself and still be great.
From Footnote to Franchise Savior
If April 22 marked the low point of Haliburton’s perception among his peers, June has rewritten the story entirely. He hasn’t just survived the criticism—he’s thrived in spite of it.
And while he hasn’t addressed the “overrated” label directly, he doesn’t have to. The results speak for themselves. The wins speak. The Finals berth speaks.
Tyrese Haliburton is no longer a fun young player with flair. He’s a Finals-bound floor general with a chance to make history—and a receipt to cash.
So next time an anonymous player poll comes around, don’t be surprised if the name Tyrese Haliburton shows up again.
Just in a very different category.
