30 in 30: Can Tyrese Haliburton blossom for the Indiana Pacers?

Will this be a breakout year for Tyrese Haliburton?

When the Indiana Pacers surprised the NBA masses by trading Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton, there were many skeptics on both sides. On one hand, Sabonis was an all-star-worthy player already. On the other, the reasoning behind the trade (at least for the Pacers) is the fact that Haliburton theoretically has a higher ceiling.

However, we haven’t seen that come to fruition consistently just yet. And that needs to change heading into this season. This will be Haliburton’s third season in the league and that is generally the year when stars begin to blossom.

If Haliburton is going to be the player that the Pacers thought he had the potential to be when they traded for him, he’s going to have to have somewhat of a breakout season this year. In 26 games with the Pacers last year, Haliburton averaged 17 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Haliburton will be expected to continue to play at that consistent pace offensively, likely with taking a slightly bigger role as well. The question is, can he do it?