Draymond Green compared Tyrese Haliburton’s handles to those of Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving

May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Tyrese Haliburton (0) of the Indiana Pacers reacts after Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs’ Eastern Conference Finals versus the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Tyrese Haliburton, while not winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award, wowed thousands of fans with his amazing passing abilities and three-level scoring as the Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals after defeating the Knicks in Game 6. However, he is also the same player that was just voted the league’s most overrated player by his teammates.

Despite a strong season, he was unable to beat Pascal Siakam for MVP owing to media voting. But, even before this snub, Draymond Green believed the NBA was sleeping on Haliburton, notably his handles. Following Game 4 of the East Finals, Green went on his show to convey his feelings about Haliburton, particularly the number of times he receives wide-open shots because teams fail to pressurize the ball while it is in his hands.

“It’s as if they give him so much space, and his shot takes a little time to load, so they give him so much space…. I’m telling you that Hali’s handle is incredibly underappreciated, which is why they don’t put too much pressure on him. And sneaky, and all these boys are aware that they attempted to press him at various occasions. He struck Mikal Bridges with one near the conclusion of the game, after he went by Mitchell Robinson and ran back.

“So I believe all of those men are aware that if they try to put pressure on him, he would quickly bop their ass. But it doesn’t appear like his handle when you watch it on TV.”

“It’s similar to Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving; their ball handling begins when it appears like they’ve lost the basketball. Because you think they’ve lost it and they got it so wild on the yo-yo, where as soon as you attempt to reach, you’re so out of place and they didn’t catch, and you’re so out of position that there’s no way you can catch up, Hali has some of that.”

Green then mentioned how Haliburton’s height allows him to cover up for all of Irving and Curry’s body motions.

“It’s quite interesting to observe because, looking at it on TV, it doesn’t appear like his handle is that way. When you play his handle, it is much tighter and nicer than it appears. And I believe they are aware of this, which is why they are not putting too much pressure on him. But you can’t just let him look around the court and take you apart.

Tyrese Haliburton averaged 20.5 points, 11.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds over two games versus the Warriors this season. The Pacers won both of these games. Green participated in one of these two games. He knows directly what Haliburton is capable of. Haliburton has averaging 18.8 points, 9.8 assists, and 5.7 rebounds through 16 games of the 2025 playoffs.

While Haliburton may not pass the sight test, his team’s performance will undoubtedly speak louder than his own remarks. As the Pacers’ leader, his performance will always be evaluated in relation to the team’s success. If the Pacers win the NBA Finals, it will silence all naysayers, including colleagues who voted Haliburton as the league’s most overrated player.

March 12, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA: Oklahoma City Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket alongside Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at Paycom Center.