Pacers Star Done Dirty By NBA Peers' 'Most Overrated' Label

As Hesh said in "The Sopranos," you know when a song is a hit, but there's no real science to figuring out why some songs fall short. 

There's no easy way to say or explain that Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton … is not THAT guy. 

Despite decent stats, Hali, recently named 2025's "Most Overrated" player in the NBA, struggles to become a marquee player.

The Athletic's annual poll, voted on by 90 NBA players, crowned Haliburton the most overrated with 14.4 percent of the vote. Other names on the list included Atlanta's Trae Young and Minnesota's Rudy Gobert.

INDIANAPOLIS - Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

This season, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game, the latter ranking third in the league. His playmaking, alongside Pascal Siakam, helped the Pacers secure the Eastern Conference's fourth seed.

Haliburton thrives by his sharpshooting, boasting a career 39.2 percent from three, but lives and dies by the sword, often plagued by scoring droughts when his shot falters. Haliburton's achievements also draw limited praise in the less competitive East compared to Western Conference rivals.

OutKick's Dan Dakich refuted the notion of Haliburton being the most overrated player in the league, naming Damian Lillard as his pick, though Dakich noted that Haliburton could prove his doubters wrong with a bounce-back performance against the Milwaukee Bucks in their series.

Haliburton's spotlight grew after his trade from Sacramento to Indiana, yet he hasn't earned widespread acclaim. His deepest playoff run was in 2024, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Pacers were swept 4-0 by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

In contrast, Trae Young, another "overrated" nominee, led Atlanta to a surprising Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021, averaging 28 points per game. 

Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert, often mocked, remains a defensive force and elite rebounder. His impact was evident in Minnesota's dominant Game 1 win over the Lakers in the 2025 Western Conference Playoffs opening round.

A hit's a hit … and Haliburton ain't it.

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