Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Predicted to Be Top 100 Player in NBA History in a Few Years

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey predicts that Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton could rank among the Top 80 players in NBA history by 2030. Despite tempered expectations due to a torn Achilles suffered in the NBA Finals, which will likely cause him to miss the entire next season, Bailey believes Haliburton still has the potential to emerge as "this generation's version of Chris Paul" over the next half-decade.

Haliburton's achievements underpinning this prediction include leading the Pacers to two unexpected Eastern Conference Finals appearances and one NBA Finals already. Bailey argues that if Haliburton leads the Pacers on several more deep playoff runs, he could solidify a position comfortably inside the next iteration of the NBA's Top 100 players. Specific players currently ranked in the Top 100 that Haliburton could potentially surpass are identified as Sam Jones (No. 85), Nate Archibald (No. 80), Paul George (No. 78), and Hal Greer (No. 73).

The article details Haliburton's significant impact since joining the Pacers in a midseason trade with the Sacramento Kings during the 2021-22 season. He immediately improved, averaging 17.5 points and 9.6 assists per game in his first half-season with Indiana. His performance continued to rise: he made his first All-Star game and averaged a 20-point double-double in the 2022-23 season, repeated as an All-Star and earned All-NBA Third Team honors while leading the NBA in assists per game in 2023-24, and then reached his first NBA Finals and made the All-NBA Second Team in 2024-25. The 25-year-old is described as a star crucial to the Pacers' potential pursuit of their first NBA title.