Lakers News

Tyrese Haliburton ranked over LeBron James and Steph Curry in latest player rankings

Published by
Jesse Cinquini

HoopsHype published a comprehensive ranking of who the website believes will be the top 100 players in the 2024-25 NBA season, and fans of the Los Angeles Lakers may be surprised that Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton is ranked ahead of both LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

  1. Nikola Jokic
  2. Luka Doncic
  3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
  5. Joel Embiid
  6. Jayson Tatum
  7. Anthony Edwards
  8. Jalen Brunson
  9. Anthony Davis
  10. Victor Wembanyama
  11. Kevin Durant
  12. Tyrese Haliburton
  13. LeBron James
  14. Steph Curry
  15. Tyrese Maxey

According to the rankings, James will be the 13th-best player in the NBA, and Haliburton will be one spot ahead of him as the 12th-best in the league.

For reference, James has a far superior NBA resume than Haliburton likely will ever have, as the former is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player in the history of the sport.

However, when factoring in Haliburton’s production with the Pacers on the offensive side of the ball a season ago along with the fact that Indiana made a deeper run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs than the Lakers did, one can see the argument that Haliburton will be the better player of the two this upcoming season.

There may not be a better assist man in the NBA today than Haliburton. He is only 24 years old, yet he led the league in assists per game at 10.9 across 69 games played during the 2023-24 regular season. Last season also marked the second season in a row where Haliburton has averaged 10-plus assists, as he dished out 10.4 per game in the 2022-23 regular season.

But what makes Haliburton one of the top point guards in the NBA is that along with his knack for playmaking, he can also put the ball in the net with greater regularity than most. He averaged 20.1 points on 47.7 percent shooting from the floor and 36.4 percent from 3-point range last season.

Moreover, Haliburton’s Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014 in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. James’ Lakers, on the other hand, saw their stint in the playoffs end at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

It should be thrilling to find out what Haliburton will be able to accomplish in his third full season with the Pacers.

Jesse Cinquini

Jesse is a sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA. He has worked as a staff writer covering the Lakers’ dreaded rivals, the Boston Celtics, for SB Nation. He has also covered the New York Knicks for The Knicks Wall.

Published by
Jesse Cinquini

Recent Posts

Ex-teammate of Kobe and Shaq reacts to ‘BS’ narrative about Bryant being O’Neal’s sidekick

Gilbert Arenas is a self-described fan of Kobe Bryant, but he turned some heads when…

December 22, 2024

Jordan and Shaq’s ex-teammate discredits LeBron’s ‘bubble’ ring after he’s called Lakers legend

The Los Angeles Lakers have sky-high expectations compared to the lion's share of other NBA…

December 21, 2024

‘LeBron makes the trades’: Carmelo Anthony speaks out on chances of Lakers dealing LeBron James

Amid chatter about the future of 20-time All-Star LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers,…

December 20, 2024

DeMarcus Cousins says he and Anthony Davis would’ve helped Pelicans become contenders if not for ‘dumba-s’ Dell Demps

Former All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins called out former New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell…

December 19, 2024

Darvin Ham fires massive shot at Lakers: ‘Anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension’

Darvin Ham has had more NBA Cup success than any coach in the league since…

December 18, 2024

Bobby Portis on the difference between the Bucks and the Lakers: ‘We’re not Hollywood’

The Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2024 NBA Cup title with a 97-81 victory over the…

December 18, 2024