On Tuesday, The Athletic's annual NBA player poll results were released. In the extensive survey, the players voted upon a varitety of topics, the most controversial of which was undoubtedly who the league's most overrated player is. Indiana Pacers two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton was voted the NBA's most overrated player by his peers, to the chagrin of Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
Following Indiana's 123-115 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the club's first round playoff series, Carlisle was asked about the player poll, and he proceeded to rip the players who chose Haliburton in an NSFW rant.
"I heard about this," Carlisle said. "And the other guys on the list were Jimmy Butler and Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. I wanna see the guys faces that voted those guys. I wanna see the faces of those guys. Alright? This is a bull---- poll. Not everybody even answered in the poll, alright? Guys were able to answer if they wanted to."
"They were asked on-camera or with a microphone. The whole thing is bull----." And it's really a shameful thing. Just a shameful thing. Jimmy Butler would be a finalist for MVP if he had gotten to Golden State a month-and-a-half earlier. I mean—what that guy's done. And Giannis? Are you kidding me? I'm done."
It's not just current NBA players who seem to believe that Haliburton isn't as good as advertised. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr., during a February appearance on the Gil's Arena podcast, named Haliburton as one of the players from today's game that he wished he could play against, adding that the Pacers guard "thinks he's all that." While it's unclear exactly what sparked this rant from Hardaway Sr., it's clear that he was implying that he thinks Haliburton isn't as good as he believes himself to be. Haliburton also has a reputation as a bit of a trash talker, which may not exactly be endearing him to other players in the league.
Haliburton is in his fifth season in the NBA. A lottery pick by the Pacers in the 2020 NBA draft, Haliburton finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting after his first season, has made two All-Star teams and in 2023-24 was named to the All-NBA third team, alongside future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Haliburton himself was asked about being voted the league's most overrated player, and he took the high road, saying that he "must be doing something right" while adding that he "could care less" about the poll.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pacers Coach Rips Players Who Voted Tyrese Haliburton Most Overrated in NBA.