NBA World Rues Jalen Brunson Snub as Tyrese Haliburton Finds No Place in Steve Kerr’s Team USA vs Germany

A prestigious event like the Olympics, which Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton wanted to be “a part of” after his significant Team USA stint in 2023, came true but with a small caveat. The pre-Olympic tune-ups did not deliver as he expected. Haliburton can be a great asset with his playmaking prowess as seen in his 10.4 assist average last season. But that’s not what the ‘Dream Team 2.0’ needs and it was proven in the final exhibition game against Germany as the Pacer never came on!

Team USA needs a guard with scoring skills since there are already many elite playmakers on the court like Anthony Davis, who has literally been the sharpest after LeBron James himself. AD’s exhibition performance against Canada was itself a testament to his skills, with his 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks stat line. Yesterday, coach Steve Kerr went for Derrick White, the NBA Champion PG who could also score. However, Haliburton disappearing from the lineup wasn’t a sudden occurrence.

Haliburton‘s minutes off the bench in these exhibition games were reducing one after the other. 20, 15, 7, and 0 minutes, against Canada, Serbia, South Sudan, and Germany respectively. Even during the 15 minutes that he had against Serbia, he managed three assists, one rebound, and one steal after missing his only 3-pointer. Maybe the drop in scoring was what forced Steve Kerr to bench the 24-year-old for the whole last exhibition game ahead of the group stage in Paris.

Notably, the Indiana Pacers player averaged 8.6 points along with 3 boards, and 5.6 assists in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, playing for 21.5 minutes. However, as Team USA has different requisites to achieve their 5th consecutive Olympic Gold medal, the NBA fans believe that the New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, if chosen, might’ve contributed better to Team USA’s gold ambitions.

Fans deplore Tyrese Haliburton’s inefficacy in Team USA’s intended dream run

Considering the scarce production from Tyrese Haliburton, the community charged toward the Indiana PG. With a crowded backcourt, including Anthony Edwards and others for ball handling, an X user questioned Haliburton’s significance since the pace he sets with the ball might not be an asset the Dream Team 2.0 currently needs. The fan wrote, “Lack of shot creation and a cone on defense is big. His playmaking isn’t as necessary due to most of the players on the team being able to playmake at a high level. Brunson or JB would’ve been nice in his place.”

Another user on X understood the assignment of what the Team USA needed and tended to agree, as he went on to clarify, “Brunson maxey or dame should be on the team instead of him“. Notably, all three of his suggestions had better scoring averages than Tyrese Haliburton last season, with 28.7, 25.9, and 24.3, respectively, while moving the ball on the court.

One of the X users pulled out some of the best scoring guards from the last season, mentioning, “He never tries score they don’t need a guard to only pass. Brunson, Dame, Kyrie, Jaylen Brown could have taken his spot.” However, Jaylen Brown was not called as a replacement for Kawhi but speaking about that issue is like opening a can of worms because of the amount of controversy! Rather, Kyrie could have been an asset with his 25.6 average last season and ball-handling dominance.

Similarly, a diehard Knicks fan had no list but made his intention clear. “should’ve had brunson on the team,” they posted. Another netizen shared the same opinion, writing, “Should’ve been Brunson,” JB’s toughness in the backcourt could have been more effective than that of Haliburton.

Overall, the NBA community went for scoring ability along with a low center of gravity, adding to Jalen Brunson’s strengths rather than Tyrese Haliburton’s pacey playmaking skill. Though Brunson is better at shooting from deep range, he also had a better last season scoring-wise as well than the Pacer. However, coach Steve Kerr picked Tyrese Haliburton in the roster for the job.

What’s your prediction on the 24-year-old’s performance? Will it improve in the group games? Let us know in the comments.