Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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.
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.
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