The Smile, The Scorn, The MVP Contender

Tyrese Haliburton was named the NBA's most overrated star a few weeks ago by an anonymous survey. You can understand why when you see him play—not because he isn't good, but rather because he enrages opponents with Indiana's high-scoring assault while always smiling and trash-talking.

With his father cheering from a distance and waving towels with his son's face, a man degrades you in front of millions of people while grinning. A two-time MVP twice his stature is not immune to the father's criticisms. Nobody talks kindly of this parent in private, and this son in particular.

After completing his masterpiece on Tuesday night, Haliburton covered his face. After being banned for using abusive language, Tyrese's father came back, but he remained off the court but was near enough to motivate Tyrese to have his greatest game ever, which included 35 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, and 0 turnovers. What was most amazing, though, was Tyrese's perfect ball handling.

With his distinctive passes, Haliburton stands with great passers like Doncic, LeBron, and Jokic. He distributes the ball precisely on time and in rhythm, even when he unleashes it at strange angles and deceives opponents with his devious flair. His deliveries flow naturally with shooters and finishers.

Because the point guard attracts opponents, makes accurate passes, and defeats coverage on fast breaks, recipients frequently have the ball alone. With incredible torque, his ball handling turns momentum into clear shooting possibilities.

His odd long-range form, which involves pushing the ball more than throwing it but still getting it in, allows him to score goals as well. As a driver, he uses stops, starts, floaters, and scoops in constrained windows, depending more on time and ingenuity than racing speed. He frequently dribbles into the lane throughout these playoffs, finds no opportunity, and resets.

Haliburton's mediocre play in slower, half-court situations, particularly when guarded by players like Mikal Bridges, may be the reason for the "overrated" reputation. However, he frequently handles obstacles well, and opponents find it difficult to continuously push him into these situations. Haliburton, 25, typically wins despite attempts to make the game a rough, man-to-man contest.

That is the real genius of Number Zero. The conceptual grandeur of that digit is rarely fully realized by the athletes who wear it on their jersey, but this one does. His ability to motivate and guide people around him is more significant than his solos, much like a brilliant bandleader. His squad is more of a weather system than a group of individuals due to the way he interprets and plays the game. Despite losing 1-3 to his Pacers, the New York Knicks have plenty of chemistry. However, their abilities have not been absorbed into a worldview as vast, vile, and unrelenting as Haliburton's Paradigm. We are about to see whether that philosophy can penetrate the whole NBA.