In his first game back after the 2025 NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton felt he was playing too fast in the Pacers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Iowa State.

Haliburton scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with six assists, one steal, and two blocks in 16 minutes. 

“It’s the first game, but it’s got to slow down,” Haliburton said. “There was just a lot of adrenaline. I was hyped to be out there, excited, but I just got to slow down a little bit.”

While being hard on himself, Haliburton noticed that although his body was moving fast, he felt like he could read the floor at his usual pace.

“It’ll happen with time,” he said. “The only way to really replicate that is game reps against other guys. And that’s what that was. So really excited about it.”

“There’s a ton of improvement that there is to be made on my end and our team’s end, but just excited to be back on the floor.”

Haliburton suited up for the Pacers over 400 days ago when he tore his right Achilles during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Playing in his first game back, he struggled to sleep. He said it was mainly because of the anticipation of playing his first game back at Iowa State, where he played for two years from 2018 to 2020.

The Pacers planned to play this preseason game in 2025, but after Haliburton’s injury, they decided to push it back until the star was healthy.

To replicate a college atmosphere, Haliburton bought out the student section at both ends of the arena, so students could get seats on a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, lines wrapped around the arena for hours before tip-off.

“It’s the loudest preseason game I’ve ever been a part of,” Haliburton said. “But had a lot of fun, a lot of special memories I’ve made here, and that just adds to it.”

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is currently dealing with shingles.

Shingles is a byproduct of chickenpox, which means anybody who’s ever had chickenpox has the shingles virus in them. The virus creates blister-like sores that can stay on the body for weeks. Many patients experience pain in the affected areas years after the rash clears. 

Generally speaking, most shingles patients are older. However, high stress, a weakened immune system, medications or isolation can cause someone under 35 to get shingles.

Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Since then, he’s been in a rigorous recovery process to be ready to return by opening night 2026. This recovery process can cause high amounts of stress, along with requiring lots of medication. Haliburton has admitted that the virus has made his recovery more difficult. 

“It’s been miserable. I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, it’s been bad days. I’ve been taking unbelievable amounts of medication to try to get rid of it. It hasn’t worked. It’s not been fun, and hopefully it goes away soon. It’s hard to really tell with nerve pain, but I’ve been dealing now with nerve pain for two months, and in the world of nerve pain, that’s not very long. Hopefully it goes away soon.” Haliburton said. 

The Pacers played their final game of the season on April 12. They lost to the Detroit Pistons 133-121. Obi Toppin scored 21 points off the bench for the Pacers, while Kobe Brown scored 20. The Pistons won thanks to Paul Reed scoring 26 points and Tobias Harris scoring 24 points. 

The Pacers finished with a record of 19-63. This was the second-worst record in the NBA, only behind the Washington Wizards. They will need to finish in the top four in the draft lottery to keep their draft pick.

In a gut-wrenching moment, Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a serious leg injury during the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. Midway through the opening quarter, Haliburton attempted to drive to the basket, fell to the floor and was in immense pain as he pounded on the floor. He remained on the court before being helped off.

The immediate fear among fans was that Haliburton had suffered an Achilles injury, given that it was the same leg on which he had strained his calf in Game 5. Haliburton’s father, John, through ESPN’s Lisa Salters, confirmed that the Pacers star had indeed suffered an Achilles injury.

“Mike, I just spoke to Tyrese Haliburton’s father, who has been back in the locker room with his son,” Salters said. “Mr. Haliburton confirmed that it is an Achilles injury.”

“And he said that Tyrese is doing as well as he can be under the circumstances. The entire family is back there with him. His mom, his dad, his brother. He said that he seems to be in good spirits watching the game, and he’s trying to root on his team back in the locker room.”

Though the Pacers managed to keep the game close into the third quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away by the end of the third quarter and went on to win the championship.

The Pacers and Haliburton’s season ended in absolutely heartbreaking fashion, but after the loss, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle praised Haliburton for putting in an all-time performance during their improbable postseason run.

“What happened with Tyrese, just all of our hearts dropped,” Carlisle told reporters. “He will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time. I believe he’ll make a full recovery. He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was just something that no one’s ever seen, and did it as one of 17. That’s the beautiful thing about him. As great of a player as he is, it’s always a team thing. Our hearts go out to him.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder were up 3-2 in the series and needed to close the series to end the 2024-25 season on Thursday with an NBA Championship. The Indiana Pacers were backed into a corner and they fought out of it.

After back-to-back losses to the Thunder, the Pacers were on the ropes. The Thunder’s defense kicked into gear in Game 5, forcing 23 turnovers and holding the Pacers to 36.7% from three. Worse, the Pacers left Bricktown with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton hobbled by a calf strain that contributed to his worst shooting game of the postseason as he shot 0-of-6 from the field and scored only four points, all of which came from free throws.

Haliburton started on Thursday, with Pacers coach Rick Carlisle warning the team “will watch and monitor things closely.” There was no need for that, as Haliburton got off to a rocky start, missing his first four shots. Haliburton bounced back and scored eight points in the second quarter, and he was up to 14 by the end of the third. Pascal Siakam added 16 points and 13 rebounds to the Pacers’ blowout victory. By the start of the fourth, the Thunder had emptied their bench as scores of media members overloaded Orbitz for one more flight to Oklahoma as they tied the series with a 108-91 Game 6 win.

“I wanted to be out there to compete with my brothers,” Haliburton said. “These are guys that I’m willing to go to war with and we’ve had such a special year, and we have a special bond as a group. I’d beat myself up if I didn’t give it a chance.”

When Haliburton was not on the floor, T.J. McConnell was doing just as much damage to the Thunder’s defense as he scored 12 points, collected nine rebounds and dished out six assists. He had four steals on Thursday and is averaging 2.3 per game in the Finals. The team that has won the bench battle has won every game in this series. The feisty McConnell was a big reason why the Pacers took this game over.

“I think in the Finals, especially in our series right now, all these games are coming down to the margins,” Haliburton said. “That’s what’s important, can you win the rebound battle, can you win the turnover battle, can you set the tone from a physicality standpoint? Those are all what’s been very important through all these games and I feel like whoever has done that has won the game.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night, scoring a 120-109 win and with it a 3-2 lead in the series.

The Pacers struggled throughout the night, with Tyrese Haliburton, who had been at the center of so many of the team’s comebacks this postseason, having a brutal game. Haliburton was held scoreless in the first half – his first scoreless half in his postseason career – and ultimately finished the game with just four points, all of which came from the foul line.

Haliburton was still working through his leg injury, as Pacers coach Rick Carlisle made clear after the game. But despite the injury, Haliburton was adamant that he was not going to be taken off the floor for the Pacers. Asked why he tried to play through his injury after the game, Haliburton’s answer was short and simple.

“I mean, it’s the NBA Finals. It’s the Finals, man,” Haliburton said. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here, and I want to be out there to compete. Help my teammates any way I can. I was not great tonight by any means, but it was not really a thought to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play. They understand that. It is what it is, and I’ve got to be ready to go in Game 6.”

Given Haliburton’s resilience in playing through his injury, questions have been asked about whether closing Game 5 out with him was the right decision due to his struggles throughout the game and with backup guard T.J. McConnell having 18 points in 22 minutes, with 13 of those points being scored in the third quarter.

With how Carlisle talked about Haliburton’s injury, it sounds like the nagging injury isn’t going to be gone before Game 6 tips off on Thursday. Haliburton will be out there no matter what, but how effective he can be as a player remains an open question.

After being barred from eight games following a confrontation with Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Haliburton, Tyrese Haliburton‘s father, has been on his best behavior after being allowed to attend Indiana Pacers home games going forward.

John Haliburton was initially barred from both home and away games on May 1, which was two days after he and Antetokounmpo got into it following the Pacers’ series win over the Bucks. The moment was over relatively quickly, and Antetokounmpo noted afterwards that he felt disrespected by Haliburton, but spoke with him later, and they are now in a good place.

When the ban went through, Tyrese, who previously made clear that he did not condone his father’s actions, said that he understood the decision the Pacers made.

Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley called for John Haliburton‘s ban to be lifted after the Pacers won Game 2 of the ECF vs. the Knicks on Friday.

“It’s time to let Mr. Haliburton back in the building,” Barkley said Wednesday. “[Commissioner Adam Silver], I’m asking you… Hey, my man paid his dues. He did something really, really stupid. But he’s been punished. I’m asking you and the Indiana Pacers to let Mr. Haliburton back in the building for Games 3 and 4. Listen, he paid his dues. It shouldn’t be indefinite. He’s been punished enough, he will never do anything that stupid again.”

After a hard-fought series, Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton got the last laugh against the New York Knicks. Their fans, as the Pacers won the playoff series in six games and are now going to the NBA Finals to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Knicks fans have shown their disdain for the Pacers and their star point guard to the point where celebrity fans are getting in the middle of this back-and-forth rivalry between the Knicks and the Pacers.

Before Saturday’s Game 6 matchup, there was a clip of Haliburton arriving at Gainbridge Fieldhouse circulating online. In the clip, Haliburton was walking down a corridor dressed all in black, which references the Knicks doing the same before last year’s Game 6 playoff matchup.

Actor and comedian Ben Stiller was focusing on one thing in the Haliburton arrival video, and it was the black duffel bag that the two-time All-Star was carrying.

“Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY,” Stiller tweeted.

Stiller was implying that the Knicks were going to win Game 6 and send the series back to New York for a Game 7.

The statement did not look good for Stiller in retrospect, as the Pacers went on to win Game 6 in a 125-108 victory over the Knicks and eliminated them from the NBA playoffs for the second year in a row.

Pascal Siakam was efficient as he accounted for 31 points, five rebounds and three blocks as he shot 10-of-18 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range while also winning Eastern Conference finals MVP. Haliburton accounted for 21 points, six rebounds, 13 assists and three steals while Andrew Nembhard accounted for 14 points, eight assists and six steals.

After celebrating the Pacers’ victory, Haliburton responded to Stiller on X.

“Nah, was to pack y’all up,” Haliburton replied.

Stiller tweeted back with no hard feelings on the star point guard, wishing him and the Pacers well in their upcoming NBA Finals matchup with the Thunder.

“Congrats,” Stiller said. “All the best in OKC.”

In the Eastern Conference finals, the road team has been the one to win each game as the Indiana Pacers won Games 1 and 2 in New York while the New York Knicks won Game 3 against the Pacers in Indiana. A lot of pressure was on the Pacers and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to win Game 4 and go to New York up three-to-one on the Knicks, and he answered the call.

Haliburton recorded a 32-point, 15-assist and 12-rebound triple-double to lead the Pacers to a 130-121 victory that gave them a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference and one game away from the NBA Finals.

Haliburton is one of three players to record 30+ points, 12+ rebounds and 15+ assists in a playoff game, joining Oscar Robertson in 1962 and Nikola Jokic in 2023. The one thing that makes this stat line so historic is that he did all of this production without turning the ball over, which has never been done before in playoff history.

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Haliburton said postgame. “Just trying to play my best. I felt like I let the team down in Game 3. I could have been so much better. I felt like I responded the right way today.”

Haliburton and the Pacers set the tone from the start. Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, shooting 11-of-21 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range. Contributions from Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner helped the Pacers offensively and defensively as they combined for 29 points, three blocks and two steals. One of the biggest contributors was Bennedict Mathurin, who had only 12 minutes in Game 4 but took advantage of every minute out there. He scored 20 points and got to the free-throw line multiple times, as he was 10-of-11 from the line.

The Pacers shot 51.1% from the field and 40.6% on 3-pointers in Game 4.

“Just getting back to us,” said Nesmith postgame. “Playing our game and doing what we do best. Pushing the pace.”

In addition to Haliburton’s scoring ability, the Pacers had 33 points on 14-of-22 (63.6%) shooting from Haliburton’s passes. He prides himself on getting people the ball without turning the ball over.

“It’s pretty remarkable, but this has become his thing,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. “There will be a new statistical category, perhaps, named after him somewhere down the line.”

Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, will stay away from Indiana Pacers games for the foreseeable future, the team announced.

This decision was made following an incident between John Haliburton and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo after game five of the team’s first round series. Haliburton ran up to Antetokounmpo and started showboating, leading to the two getting into a screaming match.

Antetokounmpo called the exchange “disrespectful.”

John apologized for his actions on social media, writing, “I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game.”

Tyrese agreed that his father was out of line.

“He needs to just allow me to play basketball and stay over there, and I’ll come to him to celebrate,” Haliburton said. “I don’t think my pops was in the right at all there.”

The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, defeating the Bucks 4-1. Game five ended on a Haliburton game-winning layup.

The Pacers will play the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. The Cavs are coming off a sweep of the Miami Heat, in a series that statistically was the most lopsided in NBA playoff history.

Last week, The Athletic released its annual “Anonymous NBA player poll,” which got responses from 158 players across 30 teams to answer questions related to the NBA.

One question that received the most attention: Who is the most overrated player in the NBA?

Amongst his peers, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was named the most overrated player in the league. 14.4%, or 13 of the 90 players who chose to vote on the question, named Haliburton the most overrated player in the NBA.

Thirty-three different players received votes for the “award.” Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler and LeBron James were among the players who also received votes.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was not a fan of the poll. After seeing his star player being called overrated by his peers, Carlisle spoke his mind.

“This is a bulls— poll,” Carlisle said. “I want to see the faces of the guys who voted those guys.”

Haliburton and the Pacers finished the season 50-32, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference.

His title didn’t faze Haliburton as the most overrated player.

“I must be doing something right if that’s the case,” Haliburton said. “I’m good. I could care less.”

On Tuesday night, Haliburton got the last laugh when he scored the series-winning shot against the Bucks.

It looks like some NBA players are not sold on the Tyrese Haliburton hype.

Haliburton received the most votes for the “Most Overrated Player” in The Athletic’s annual anonymous player poll, earning 13 of 90 votes (14.4%). No other player came particularly close, with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert finishing second at nine votes (10%).

After struggling with his shot early on, Haliburton bounced back to average 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game. He led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio for players who played 50+ games and helped guide the Indiana Pacers to their first 50-win season since 2014.

Only 1.5% of voters picked the Pacers as the NBA’s best organization, resulting in a tie for 11th.

The Boston Celtics finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record, started the playoffs 9-2 and led by 20 points in 47 of their 94 games.

Their kryptonite: Game Twos.

Boston has dropped the second game in every season to start this post-season and has lost three in a row dating back to the ECF finals last year. Throw in the Boston Bruins and the teams from T.D. Garden entered Thursday night 0-6 in their previous six-game twos.

Until tonight.

Boston put up a professional effort in their all-black uniforms, a different combination than in previous game twos this season. The Celtics never trailed by more than one possession after the first quarter and kept a double-digit lead for the final 16 minutes of game action. Fresh off an All-NBA snub, Jaylen Brown played the best game of his playoff career, dropping a 40-point bomb on 52% shooting while taking on the most difficult matchup of the night, guarding Pascal Siakam. Jrue Holiday filled in the gaps, creating ten assists with only one turnover and shooting 3-4 from behind the arc.

Early on, it did not seem like Indiana would run out of steam. The Pacers scored 18 points in the first six minutes, holding a slender 18-15 advantage. Indiana’s balanced offensive approach continued to befuddle Boston, as six players made baskets in the opening 12 minutes, equating to finishing the first ahead 27-25, shooting 58%.

Like game one, Boston erupted and went on a tear to start the second. After an uncomfortable start, the Celtics ripped off a 20-0 run and did not allow a point for the first five minutes of the frame. Brown scored 10 out of the 20 points as he kept the Pacers off balance by exploding to the rim and draining two triples. Two free throws from Derrick White pushed the lead to 16 with six minutes to go, but once again, Indiana clawed back into the contest with mental toughness and resilience. Siakam could not be stopped, scoring 12 points in the final four minutes of the quarter, finishing the half with 16 points on 8-9 shooting as the Pacers trailed by only six at the break, 57-51.

While Brown dropped 24 in the first half, the Celtics cannot reach their ultimate goal if Jayson Tatum does not play his best. Unfortunately, the Duke alum put together one of the worst halves of his career. Tatum finished with only four points while looking disengaged on the defensive end. White and Tatum shot 3-15 in the first, and the Celtics needed more from their stars to secure the 2-0 series lead.

They delivered.

Once the Pacers pulled within 2, 68-66, the Tatum tornado came out of nowhere. He and White scored or assisted on 12 of the following 16 Celtic points as Boston put together another massive 16-2 scoring run over six minutes. After shooting 5-15 from long range in the first half, Joe Mazzula‘s men canned four triples in the third alone and retook a double-digit lead. As the Celtics rounded into form, Indiana fell apart.

At 6:20, star PG Tyrese Haliburton went to the locker room and did not return with left leg soreness. Haliburton is the engine of the Pacer offense and without him, the team stalled. Rick Carlisle’s club trailed 93-80 entering the fourth, but without their best player, the coach waved the white flag. Carlisle benched Myles Turner to start the quarter and pulled Siakam three minutes later. After three straight road games, an emotional loss in game one, Carlisle cut his losses and emptied his bench.

The Pacer reserves fought valiantly and did not let Mazzula feel comfortable pulling his starters until 90 seconds left in the game, but they had nowhere near the talent as Boston. The Celtics knocked down 69 points in the second half and protected the home court winning game two 126-110.

Heading into game three, the storyline shifts to Haliburton’s health. With him on the floor, the Pacers went shot for shot with the Celtics and kept the contests close. Without him and trailing 2-0, Boston’s cakewalk of a conference championship will continue for the next two games in Indiana.

The Indiana Pacers filed a complaint with the NBA Wednesday night concerning 78 calls and non-calls in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The team claims that the referees have made a preponderance of errors that have helped the second-seeded Knicks take a 2-0 series lead.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after Game 2, a 130-121 Knicks win that he had been holding out hope for improved officiating since the team’s Game 1 loss Sunday. He was disappointed and claimed that his team never had a serious chance.

“I can promise you that we’re going to submit these [complaints] tonight,” Carlisle said after Game 2. “New York can get ready. They’ll see ’em too. I’m always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials, but we deserve a fair shot.”

In recent years, the NBA has faced increasing scrutiny concerning referees’ decisions as the league updates its instant replay rules. In a fast-paced game like basketball, fans at home have a very different viewing experience than referees on the floor. Referees are also central to many fans’ conspiracy theories about game fixing, fueled by the 2007 Tim Donaghy scandal and other minor incidents.

The Pacers are merely questioning the referees’ competence in their complaint to the NBA, arguing that the calls have been skewed heavily in favor of their opponent. Several outside spectators partially agree with Indiana’s assessment, especially concerning a blatant error at the end of Game 1 in which a potential Pacers steal was instead called a kicked-ball violation.

But while some in the Pacers organization are focused on ensuring fairness from referees, others, like Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton, claim that the team could have avoided both losses by playing better. After scoring just six points in Game 1, the All-Star bounced back in Game 2 and scored 34.

“Let’s not pretend like [officiating] is the only reason we lost. We just didn’t play good enough,” Haliburton said. “We just got to be better.”

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 64 points Wednesday night to lead the team to a 140-126 victory over the Indiana Pacers. To receive the game ball for this achievement, however, Antetokounmpo had to storm down the tunnel in search of his opponents after the final buzzer.

The Bucks and Pacers entered the game Wednesday as casual rivals, having faced one another recently during the In-Season Tournament semifinals.

Things went smoothly for most of the night, however, until the incident after the game.

Antetokounmpo, who scored 64 points on 28 field goal attempts, was looking around for the game ball to commemorate his personal-best scoring night. The ball was already on the way to Indiana’s locker room.

Antetokounmpo began running down the tunnel to confront his opponents.

He and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton exchanged heated words in front of the locker room before security finally managed to get the ball for Antetokounmpo. He later accused the Pacers of giving him a different ball, saying it did not feel like the one used in the game.

“I have no idea. I’m not going to lie,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game. “I have no idea. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand new ball. I can tell. I played, what, 35 minutes today. I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I’ll take and I’ll give it to my mom for sure, but I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball.”

The Pacers originally claimed that they took the game ball in order to honor teammate Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first NBA basket on a free throw during the game.

But audio captured after the game also suggests that the team was aware that it was taking the ball away from Antetokounmpo.

Multiple players took to social media after the game to continue the dispute, which seemed to finally end after the Bucks’ official Twitter account posted a photo of Antetokounmpo holding the ball.

Indiana Pacers shooting guard Buddy Hield will have to pay a $25,000 fine after gesturing with his middle finger on the bench during a game against the Charlotte Hornets Monday. The NBA announced the fine Wednesday.

As the NBA Communications team noted, Hield made the gesture during the second quarter, trying to be discreet at first but eventually making it more explicit as he seemingly tried to communicate to someone on the court. Television cameras at that moment happened to be focused on Tyrese Haliburton, who was sitting next to Hield.

Though the NBA maintains a strict policy against obscene gestures during games, it is fairly obvious that Hield was not gesturing in a malicious manner. A previous instance of Hield making the same gesture on the court is Haliburton’s cover image on Twitter.

Hield’s gesture did not appear to have any impact on his performance, a credible one in which he scored 20 points with four rebounds and an assist. The Pacers lost 115-109. Typically a shooter first, Hield hasn’t been overwhelmingly consistent this season. offering a high ceiling but relatively low floor from game to game.

As for the Pacers in a general sense, Hield, Haliburton and Myles Turner have struggled as a core to compete consistently with the best teams in the league. With a 33-40 record, they are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference and could sneak into the play-in tournament with few prospects beyond that.

The team entered a new phase following the departure of Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb last offseason, and while playful obscene gestures between players suggest comradery, it will take some time for this team to adjust to an extent that it can feasibly compete deep in the postseason. Haliburton has delivered in his first season with the team, offering some semblance of hope as the team continues to build going forward.

On, Thursday the NBA announced the 2020-21 NBA All-Rookie Team.

To no one’s surprise, Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball was unanimously selected to the First Team, as was Rookie of the Year runner-up Anthony Edwards. Tyrese Haliburton joined the two after receiving 98 of 99 First Team votes. Pistons forward Saddiq Bey and Houston’s Jae’Sean Tate were also voted to the First Team.

Ball, of the Charlotte Hornets, was recently announced as the Rookie Of The Year after averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game in 51 games this season. The Hornets guard led all rookies in assists per game (6.1), steals (1.59) and rebounding (5.9). He was second in scoring (15.7).

Edwards led all rookies in scoring with 19.3 points per game. He also chipped in 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. However, Edwards ramped up his production following the All-Star break. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 36 games after the All-Star break. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in each of the final three months of the season.

Haliburton averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. Haliburton is the eighth player in the history of the Sacramento Kings’ franchise to make the All-Rookie First Team

Bey averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He was an impressive rookie for the Detroit Pistons. Bey was on pace to break the record for most threes made by a rookie, but the shortened season denied him the record. The Pistons’ rookie finished with 175 made triples.

Tate averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Houston Rockets this season. Tate was one of 10 players to average at least 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals per game after the All-Star break.

The Second Team is comprised of Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, Cavaliers guard-forward Isaac Okoro, Pistons center Isaiah Stewart and Bulls forward Patrick Williams.

Star combo guard Tyrese Haliburton, the number 12 overall pick out of Iowa State in the 2020 NBA draft, received promising news yesterday about his left knee injury, via MRI. The Sacramento Kings star has no ligament damage whatsoever, and the franchise can breathe a sigh of relief about the team’s cornerstone.

Haliburton injured his leg during Sunday’s 112-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks, and the team feared the worst. Haliburton was under noticeable distress and needed help getting to the locker room. Coach Luke Walton echoed this sentiment on Sunday. “They’re working on it, so it’s not like we’re trying not to get the information out there,” Walton said. “We’re not hiding anything, but whenever that information all comes in and the powers that be communicate it out, that information will be sent out to you and that will happen when it happens. I can’t give you an exact time.”

Haliburton will sadly be forced to miss the conclusion of this season, but nothing more. In his absence, veteran guard Delon Wright will take his place and De’Aaron Fox should return on Friday as well. Haliburton is also expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of next year.

The Kings weren’t close to the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference anyway, so the offseason will simply start early for the young star. In his rookie season, the combo guard averaged  13 points per game, along with 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals. He flashed elite shot-making and playmaking skills, traits that will only improve as he plays more, and gets a better team around him. Interestingly enough for Haliburton, his stats have inflated since teammate Fox was sidelined due to the league’s safety and health protocols. Since Haliburton has become the primary ball handler and distributor for the Kings, he’s averaging 18.5 points and nine assists. This stat line is comparable to players like Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry and Ja Morant, and shows a potential future trajectory for Haliburton.

Although the rookie’s season is over a bit early, Kings fans are surely happy that he escaped without major injury. Haliburton figures to play a huge role in Sacramento’s future.