Former NBA player Evan Turner indirectly took a jab at Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton for his subpar start to the season on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. At the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, Haliburton struggled to make a positive impact on the team. With the star’s recent trend of disappointing performances, Turner took a shot at the youngster on social media.
In the first three games of the season, Hali didn’t post the best stats. During their season opener against the Detroit Pistons, the All-Star only had 15 points on 1-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Thankfully, the Pacers captured the 115-109 win. In the next game, however, the Olympic gold medalist didn’t score a single point against the New York Knicks.
Despite playing twenty-five minutes, Indiana’s star did not score any points. The Pacers guard only had a rebound and five assists, causing the team to suffer a 123-98 loss.
Fortunately, Hali found his rhythm in the team’s next game, against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Haliburton scored 22 points, the first time in the new season he reached the 20-point mark in a single game. However, that was insufficient for Indiana to defeat a Sixers team without Paul George and Joel Embiid.
Turner made what appeared to be a subtle jab at Haliburton on X before Indy’s game against the Orlando Magic on Monday.
“Adulting is acknowledging that Tyrese is mid,” The former Pacers guard posted.
Adulting is acknowledging that Tyrese is mid
— Evan Turner (@thekidet) October 29, 2024
Turner didn’t clarify which Tyrese he was referring to. The other player named “Tyrese” in the league is Tyrese Maxey of the Sixers. Unlike Tyrese Haliburton, the Philly guard has lived up to the hype of the regular season, as he even scored 45 points against the Pacers.
How well did Tyrese Haliburton play tonight against the Orlando Magic?
On the court, Tyrese Haliburton seems to be getting back into his groove. On Monday, the Pacers faced the Orlando Magic. Haliburton played 35 minutes and gave it his all, scoring 19 points against the young Magic team. The 24-year-old star flirted with a triple-double as he had nine rebounds and ten assists.
The point guard had an efficient night beyond the arc. Haliburton shot 4-for-9 from beyond the arc, including a game-tying shot late in the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton ties it up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sAPD8N2Zqj
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 29, 2024
However, that wasn’t enough for the Pacers to win the game, as they suffered their third loss of the year, with a final score of 119-115. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero had a 50-point, 13-rebound double-double.
The next game between the two teams will be on Nov. 6.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.