When Tyrese Haliburton leads the Indiana Pacers into Chase Center on Monday, he’ll be facing the Warriors and the point guard he once hoped would be his NBA mentor.
That would be two-time MVP Stephen Curry.
When Haliburton was preparing for the 2020 NBA Draft, the Iowa State star expressed delight at the prospect of being selected by the Warriors and serving as Curry’s understudy.
“Steph being one of the best point guards ever play the game of basketball and probably the best shooter ever to play the game of basketball, it would be big for me to learn from him and just kind of pick his brain,” Haliburton told NBC Sports Bay Area on a pre-draft conference call. “And then take that challenge on in practice as well, because if I can stay in front of Steph and guard, I feel like I could probably guard anybody.”
The Warriors, holding the No. 2 overall pick, selected center James Wiseman (who now is an inactive member of the Pacers). Haliburton went 12th overall to the Sacramento Kings, who in his second season traded him to the Pacers.
It didn’t take long for Haliburton to prove he was ready. He’d started 51 games for the Kings that season and immediately became the starting point guard for Indiana. Within a year, he established himself as the team leader and made his first All-Star Game appearance.
After a slow start this season, Haliburton, 24, has found his rhythm. Over his last 12 games, he is averaging 20.7 points on 49.7-percent shooting from the field, including 41.7 percent from distance, and 8.8 assists. His 4.33 assist-to-turnover ratio is fourth in the league.
Golden State Warriors
Curry, 36, is averaging 22.4 points per game on 44.5-percent shooting, including 41.1 percent beyond the arc. He is coming off a stellar performance in a 113-103 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves last Saturday, scoring 31 points, including 13 in less than three minutes down the stretch.
The would-be mentor vs. would-be mentee matchup likely will dictate the direction of the offenses and the game. Curry sees each game as an opportunity to prove he still has it, while Haliburton continues to make his case of the best young point guard in the NBA.
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Curry and Haliburton have been teammates only once, as members of Team USA’s gold-medal-winning roster in the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Curry was the star during the medal round, Haliburton mostly watched.
As teammates, Haliburton would have been OK with that four years ago. Not now.
