Many NBA fans, whether casual viewers or devoted followers, likely perceive Tyrese Haliburton`s transformation into a superstar as something that happened very recently.
This perception is fueled by recent key moments: his tribute to Reggie Miller in the Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, his nearly perfect statistical performance (32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, five steals, zero turnovers) in Game 4 against the Knicks, and most notably, his game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, silencing the home crowd.
Following the win, Haliburton showed the charming demeanor characteristic of certain superstars during postgame interviews. He playfully agreed with Scott Van Pelt, who admitted he hadn`t seen the potential in the Pacers team early in the season when they had a losing record, by saying “we were late to the party, too.”
He even brought his first signature Puma sneaker, released earlier that day, to the interview platform, joking that the shoes were the “secret sauce” behind his knack for making crucial shots at a high success rate.
This season, his performance in clutch situations has been remarkable: he`s made an astonishing 13 out of 15 game-tying or game-winning shots in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. This is the best field goal percentage in such situations since play-by-play tracking began in 1996-97.
However, for those closest to Haliburton, this emergence as a superstar isn`t a sudden event but a process that started years ago. Its beginning was rather unassuming, on a seemingly ordinary Saturday in late January in Philadelphia.
At that moment, Haliburton wasn`t aware he was nearing the end of his time with the Sacramento Kings. What he did realize was that something was missing from his game, or perhaps several things. He was only averaging 13.8 points per game that year, which wasn`t the kind of production expected from a young player poised to sign a maximum contract extension in the upcoming summer.
His agent reached out to well-known NBA skills trainer Drew Hanlen to arrange a meeting and discuss potential collaboration. Hanlen agreed but immediately set conditions for working together. In his book, “Stop [Bulls—ting] Yourself,” Hanlen wrote that Haliburton`s biggest limitation was his lack of scoring aggression. Therefore, Hanlen challenged him, stating that if he wanted to work together, Haliburton needed to take at least 14 field goal attempts in the following night`s game against the Sixers.
Haliburton distinctly recalls that conversation.
He recounted after Game 1, “He told me I have to believe in myself before he believes in me.”
Haliburton didn`t know it then, but Hanlen had already been analyzing his game tape for several weeks. This was because Hanlen also worked closely with Philadelphia`s Joel Embiid, and the Sixers had been involved in trade discussions with the Kings that potentially included Haliburton and Ben Simmons.
Hanlen admired Haliburton`s exceptional passing skills but was concerned that his reluctance to score aggressively would diminish the effectiveness of his brilliant assists. Embiid encouraged Hanlen to continue reviewing the film, noting that Haliburton possessed unique aspects in his game that the big man hadn`t encountered before.
Consequently, in the game on January 29, 2022, Haliburton fully embraced Hanlen`s challenge. He took 19 shots, converted 11 of them, and recorded what was then a career-high 38 points.
He was traded to the Indiana Pacers ten days later.
He has continued working with Hanlen ever since, and their core focus has remained consistent.
Hanlen shared while waiting for Haliburton near the Pacers family room in Oklahoma City, “The main saying we often repeat is, `Sometimes being too unselfish is actually being selfish.`” He explained that when Haliburton is overly unselfish, it negatively affects his teammates` performance and the team`s overall success. “The more aggressive he is,” Hanlen concluded, “the more his team wins.”
Confidence has been an unpredictable factor for Haliburton throughout his career, which might seem surprising given his expressive interviews and on-court celebrations this season. However, just a few months prior, he was feeling lower than Hanlen had ever witnessed.
Not getting any playing time on the Olympic team was a significant blow. A persistent hamstring injury that prevented him from training all summer also affected him. He started the season lacking his usual physical and emotional energy, which was evident in the Pacers` initial struggles.
This context makes his post-win comments to Van Pelt quite ironic. Saying “We were late to the party, too” takes on a different meaning when considering how much Haliburton had to work to regain his confidence and assertiveness earlier in the year.
Even the signature shoes he brought to the podium have a deeper significance. When Haliburton was at his lowest point this year, he doubted if he deserved the honor of having his own signature shoe.
Hanlen commented, “He`s always used negativity and doubt to fuel him. But then he started accepting it and believing it. We had to help him overcome that.”
On Wednesday, Haliburton sent Hanlen a post from an X account with a modest following of 269, which analyzed the Indiana Pacers` wins based on Haliburton`s shot attempts.
Hanlen wasn`t sure how Haliburton discovered that post, but he was pleased that this was the kind of statistical analysis Haliburton was contemplating the day before his first NBA Finals appearance.
Hanlen explained, “We developed a slogan: `the orange thing.` It simply means to focus on the orange thing – the rim – as much as possible.”
He added that you wouldn`t usually tell some players to be overly aggressive because it might lead them to take poor shots. “But for Ty,” Hanlen noted, “we trust that if he drives to the basket and gets into the right positions, he will make the correct decision.”
The outcome of all this is that while Haliburton appears to be having a sudden breakthrough as a superstar in these playoffs, it`s actually a development that began three years ago – and it`s one that still requires ongoing effort.
After Haliburton took only seven shots in the Pacers` Game 5 loss to the Knicks, Hanlen traveled to Indianapolis to assist him in preparing for Game 6. They reviewed game film, and after Haliburton went to bed, Hanlen collected every orange item he could find in the house and placed them outside his bedroom door.
He found items such as a bag of Goldfish crackers, a large box of Reese`s Puffs cereal, a Size 3 basketball (typically orange), a large carrot, an orange bag of Guittard dark chocolate, and Kind peanut butter clusters.
When Haliburton woke up, he had to navigate around all these “orange things” just to exit his room.
“That`s all he talks about,” Haliburton quipped. “24/7, all day every day. It never stops with that guy.”
The message is clearly resonating. As Haliburton left the arena Thursday night, he inquired about the number of shots he attempted in Game 1.
Thirteen.
“Damn,” he remarked. “[Hanlen`s] not going to be happy. I know I was terrible. I made the shot and everything, but there`s a lot of room for improvement. I can be better.”
