In April, The Athletic released its annual player survey. The comprehensive study included 158 players, representing one-third of the league and all 30 teams.

By far, the most controversial portion of the survey was the selection of the most overrated player. That dubious distinction belonged to Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Immediately, several reasons came to mind why a majority of players would anonymously vote to brand Haliburton with the overrated tag. Was it because he had a slow start to the season? Was it because he didn’t receive much playing time as a member of the 2024 Men’s Olympic Basketball team? Or could it just be that his peers are just hating on him? Whatever the case may be

Following the poll results, Halburton was cool but defiant in his response.

“I must be doing something right if that’s the case,” Haliburton said at the time. “I don’t have a big speech or comment on it. All I care about is this locker room and winning games, and we’re in a position to go to Milwaukee and continue this series on. … I know who I am. I’m confident in my own skin and not worried about what anybody thinks.”

When considering the resume that he’s built and the superstar trajectory that he’s on, the case can be made that Tyreese Haliburton is among the most underrated players in the league.

At just 25 years old, Halibuton’s accomplishments speak for themselves. He’s a two-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Third Team member, led the NBA in assists last season, made the NBA In-Season Tournament All-Tournament Team in 2024, and was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2021. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Halliburton's games are not solely centered on his scoring ability or his athletic prowess. His superpowers on the court are his playmaking and his otherworldly efficiency.

A top-tier playoff performer, Halliburton is his best when the lights shine the brightest. His clutch play is well-documented. According to Yahoo Sports, he’s 10-for-11 (91%) when taking a shot to tie or take the lead in the final 90 seconds of the 4th quarter or overtime during the 2024-2025 season (regular season and playoffs combined).

In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, Haliburton delivered a historic performance, posting 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals with no turnovers. Since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78, he is the first player in NBA playoff history to achieve such a stat line.

Without question, Halibuton is more accomplished and decorated than many who voted him as overrated.

According to Jack Maloney, an NBA writer at CBS Sports, the story arc of Halliburton's entire career has been his innate ability to defy the odds stacked against him.

“Tyrese Haliburton was cut from his AAU team in high school. He was a three-star recruit who was originally planning to go to mid-major Northern Iowa before ending up at Iowa State,” Maloney told BET.com. “In the 2020 NBA Draft, he fell out of the top-10 and landed with the Sacramento Kings, who traded him to the Indiana Pacers mid-way through his second season. At every stop along his basketball journey, Haliburton has been doubted and cast aside.”

“He has a lanky frame and has never been an explosive athlete. His jumper looks like an example of how not to shoot, and at times, he seems disinterested in scoring. And yet, his teams win,” he continued. “A high school state championship in Wisconsin, a Big 12 Tournament title in college, and now, two consecutive Eastern Conference finals appearances.”

As the Pacers take on the Knicks on Saturday (May 31) for the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, all eyes will be on Haliburton. If he rises to the occasion, on the biggest stage, he will separate himself from many of his peers and many other basketball greats who never made a Finals appearance. 

Although Haliburton is not yet a household name with several national commercials to his credit, and he plays in Indiana, one of the small markets in the Association, he is undoubtedly a bright star in the league.

While he may not admit it, this playoffs, Halliburton is on a mission not just to prove his critics wrong but to prove himself right. Overrate that.