The starting lineups for the 2024 NBA All-Star game were announced on Thursday and there weren’t many surprising selections. However, there was one player who was named an all-star starter for the very first time. That player is Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is having a tremendous season so far.
His inclusion in the starting lineup was not shocking whatsoever. It was no secret that he was producing at a very high level and could very well be awarded by being a starter in the all-star game. Let’s take a look at how many votes he received and why he is more than deserving of this selection.
Tyrese Haliburton dominated the all-star voting for Eastern Conference guards
Tyrese on 🔝
Tyrese Haliburton finished at the top of fan voting for East guards 🔥 pic.twitter.com/x4JlspcllC
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 26, 2024
Haliburton was by far the biggest vote-getter among eastern conference guards. NBA all-star voting is separated into three separate categories: players, fans, and the media. He received 133 votes from players, 3,377,405 votes from fans, and 97 votes from the media, ranking 1st in each category. 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was close in terms of players voting, receiving 131 votes from the votes, but Haliburton lapped the rest of the field in fan and media voting.
Haliburton was the only guard to receive three million fan votes. Damian Lillard was second in this category, but he received just over 2.2 million votes, far from Haliburton’s mark. Haliburton also received 97 media votes, almost 50 more than second place, which belonged to Jalen Brunson who received 47 votes from the media.
There have been a lot of guards in the Eastern Conference who have played well this season, so it may seem surprising that Tyrese Haliburton received so many votes from players, fans, and the media. However, this becomes far more understandable when you look at his production.
Tyrese Haliburton has been an offensive machine this season
As stated earlier, it’s no surprise that Tyrese Haliburton cracked the starting lineup for this year’s all-star game. His second season with the Pacers has been a huge success as he is averaging around 24 points, four rebounds, and 13 assists per game while shooting 49.6% from the field.
He has been an amazing playmaker, leading the league in assists per game while also turning the ball over just 2.5 times per contest. He’s also been a tremendous three-point shooter, shooting 40% from three-point range on around eight attempts per game.
Tyrese Haliburton’s scoring output may not pop off the screen since he ranks just 22nd in points per game but he and Trae Young are the only players in the league who are averaging 20+ points and 10+ assists per game this season. Another important thing to note is that the Indiana Pacers lead the league in points per game, with a mark of 125, and the biggest reason why is because their point guard is a passing wizard who plays the game like prime Steve Nash.
Haliburton’s excellence as a shooter along with his unbelievable passing ability shows up in “impact” metrics which attempt to measure how many points players are worth per 100 possessions. These are flawed stats that shouldn’t be trusted blindly, but Tyrese Haliburton currently ranks fifth in basketball reference’s box plus-minus metric with a mark of 8.9. By this estimation, he is having an MVP-caliber season.
After it was announced that Haliburton was named an all-star starter, the star point guard posted a tweet reflecting on his path up to this point, stating that he’s not supposed to be here.
I’m an All-Star Starter, man.
Been sitting here soaking this in like damn I wasn’t supposed to be here, but I put in the work, it was written!
To my peers, the media, and the fans…This can’t happen without y’all.
Look forward to putting on another show in Indy
Love0️⃣💙
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) January 26, 2024
While the odds may have been stacked against Tyrese Haliburton, he’s now a part of the best basketball league in the world and he is getting the recognition he deserves. Unfortunately, he has been dealing with an injury recently, but it appears that he will be healthy enough to play in the all-star game. If he continues to produce at this level, we can expect to see him in the starting lineup of the all-star game consistently.
