The basketball community doesn't always respect point totals in the teens, high assist totals, and mind-bending efficiency. Well, at least a certain section of the community.
That combination was impressive enough for Steve Nash to win back-to-back MVPs in the mid-2000s. The media understood how impactful the futuristic style Nash played with was. Some players don't view the game through that lens.
Shaquille O'Neal is on record stating the 2005 MVP race (one of the closest ever) was a travesty. "Steve Nash averaged 12 points and beat me for MVP," Shaq screeched on a podcast rant.
He's not the only player for whom Nash's impact didn't register for. At the 5:22 mark of this clip, you'll hear great players in their own right say, "Nash benefited from the game becoming less physical," and, "If we're at the park, Nash is getting picked last," and "He shouldn't have beaten me twice, for MVP."
Nash is the only MVP discussed in this manner. His lack of playoff success plays a role in some players' brains. Nash couldn't get that monkey off his back by winning the big one, but he constantly made players around him much better (and a lot of money).
His lower points per game average also clouds how great he was for some players. Steve Nash spearheaded the two greatest offenses in NBA history in terms of relative offense efficiency. In two different systems! Nash was the system, similar to how Tyrese Haliburton is the system in Indiana.
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Tyrese Haliburton's impact is greater than his points total
90 NBA players voted in The Athletic's "most overrated player" poll. Haliburton received 14 percent of the votes. That made me cackle because he wasn't even the Pacers All-Star this year. His play at the beginning of the season didn't warrant any All-Star noise, and folks were very vocal about his shortcomings.
There's no way post-January Haliburton is overrated. Like Nash in his heyday, Hali has been an efficiency king from a shooting and turnover perspective.
Per PivotFade, Hali's splits are 51/43/85 since January. He differs from Nash in sheer volume. Haliburton was shooting 43 percent on over seven attempts a game from deep. That level of shotmaking, paired with his eagle vision, is grounds for the voters on this poll to reveal themselves.
Haliburton saw things before they developed and averaged nearly 10 assists per game. Turning the ball over 1.5 times a game with that assist total is bonkers.
It's not like he's a play-it-safe passer. Hali attempts jump passes, "lead your man to the hoop" passes and no-look, transition passes frequently. Those high-chance, high-reward passes should be picked off, but they're not, because Hali puts the rock only where his teammates can get it like a traditional quarterback.
He's overrated because he's not a 20-point scorer? If the box score is all you look at, knock yourself out with that one. But his impact goes beyond the box score.
A player with the amount of assists he has is usually ball-dominant, but not the point guard in Indiana. His time of possession (how long the ball sticks in his hands) was 16th in the league, while the other players in the top five in assists per game (besides Jokić) averaged at least 7.4 and ranked in the top five.
Indiana has the equivalent of a top-five offense with Hali on the floor, and it falls apart when he's sitting. The supporting cast around him is good, but like peak Nash, he elevates those guys and his presence doesn't hinder their success.
Haliburton is a talker. Is that why players around the league have grown to question how good he is? We saw him and Trendon Watford jawing a bit, and it was quite the scene seeing a role player talk that loud to a max contact guy.
Maybe that's a mutual feeling around the league. Damian Lillard and Haliburton have had an individual rivalry dating back to Hali mocking the "Dame Time" celebration after a Pacers win. That matchup will reignite with Lillard returning for Milwaukee in their playoff matchup with the Pacers.
LEAKED Audio Of Tyrese Haliburton Trash Talking Trendon Watford👀:
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) March 24, 2025
Hali: “You don’t even know what the playoffs look like”
Watford: “You just find out last year… I’m getting doubled and I’m undrafted”
Hali: “For a reason [undrafted]”
Watford: “You’re having a down year” pic.twitter.com/49qD7lgGaQ
In the playoffs, Haliburton can silence the doubters once and for all. Indiana made a deep push last postseason, but that's been dubbed a hospital run. With the opposition fully loaded, the world will see how Hali impacts his team without being a superstar scorer. There are different ways to leave your imprint on the game.